Army Veteran Overwhelmed With Gratitude by Support From Veteran Housing Programs

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

After over a decade of protecting others, Chris Hayes and his family are gifted protection in the form of a new roof. 

Chris and Vanessa Hayes had been saving up for a new roof for years, “We were just waiting for the financial bit to come through,” Chris told KRDO. Although the family bought their house in 2015, it is an old house, built around the 60s, and hadn’t had the roof inspected since. Their roof has leaks and parts of it are decaying. When they saw that the cost of fixing their roof would be $15,000, including insurance, they knew they wouldn’t be able to afford the fix without help. 

Thankfully, Purple Heart Homes was ready to help Chris and his family. The charity, striving to offer support and assistance to veterans through housing projects, teamed up with labor from Cenco Building Services and materials from the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, to replace Chris’s rotting roof for free. 

The Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project is a nationwide effort to show gratitude to veterans who served our country and to support them. "Since 2016 we've helped 250 veterans, and we plan on helping 20 more in 2021," area contractor salesman for Owens Corning Octavian Avila told KOAA 5. 

Now the Hayes family has a waterproof and hail-resistant roof as well as new gutters.  

The general manager of Cenco Building Services, Mathew Dirr, told KRDO, “We replaced the old roof with the top of the line Owens Corning Duration Flex shingle, which is highly impact resistant to the type of hail we get here in Colorado.” 

Matthew told Fox 21 News, “Not only will it restore the beauty of their home, it will provide them with ongoing protection. And with the increased drainage from the gutters, this roofing system won’t have to be replaced for a long time.” 

Chris joined the Army in 2009, serving for 10 years before joining the reserves for a year. After over a decade of protecting others, he is “overwhelmed” by the support he is receiving for his new roof. Chris told KOAA 5, "There [were] probably other veterans more deserving than I am out there, so for the companies to put this together and make it happen is unbelievable.” 

Have a question? AskARoofer.

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory.

Photo by Jerliee Bennet, The Gazette