Cinch Home Services Partners With Homes for Our Troops as Exclusive Provider of Home Protection Plans
For Tom Landwermeyer, president and CEO of Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), building homes is all about serving those who have served. He leads a 60-person team whose sole purpose is to build and donate specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.
Since its founding in 2004, HFOT has built 315 homes nationwide—always in the location of the veteran’s and their family’s choosing—with nearly 90 cents out of every dollar spent going directly to its services for veterans.
One of those services is a home warranty, which is where Cinch Home Services saw an opportunity.
As part of Cinch’s commitment to giving back to the community, establishing a strategic partnership with HFOT was a natural fit because of their shared mission to simplify the homeownership experience. “We used to provide our veterans with a one-year home warranty plan at our expense. Thanks to our new partnership, Cinch provides our veterans with a robust home warranty plan and covers the cost for three years,” says Landwermeyer. “Partners like Cinch allow us to continue our mission despite incredible challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.”
When a veteran receives a home from HFOT, they don’t have to pay a mortgage, but there are still many expenses associated with owning a home. If a home system or appliance breaks, Cinch sends someone right out to fix it, relieving an incredible burden on these veterans, who are often first-time homeowners.
Each home is one level and features over 40 special adaptations throughout to give veterans as much independence as possible.
“After these veterans return home from rehab, traditional homes aren’t safe nor fully accessible for them. They need assistance with daily activities, so the home is a challenge for them,” says Landwermeyer. HFOT homes include wider halls and doorways, automatic door openers, roll-under sinks and pull-down cabinet shelves, to name just a few adaptations. “We believe their homes should be a place of respite.”
Thanks to HFOT, over 95% of their veterans and their families say their stress has gone down since moving into their new home. Also, the employment rate of these veterans doubles after move-in—and triples for their spouses.
“The wife of one of our veterans said that before moving into their HFOT home, her worry instinct would kick in every time she left the home,” says Landwermeyer. “One day, she found her husband hopping down the stairs on one leg with their child in his arms. After moving into their new home, she doesn’t worry anymore because her husband can now care for himself and their two children.”
When HFOT hands the keys over after a home has been built, there’s a patriotic flag-waving ceremony attended by the veteran’s family, friends, community members, first responders and corporate partners.
“We want the community to know each veteran has chosen to live in that community,” explains Landwermeyer, “as it takes the entire community to help our veterans rebuild their lives.”
Landwermeyer says that Cinch has become a tremendous partner in supporting HFOT’s mission. In addition to donating home warranties, HFOT’s veteran support team works directly with Cinch to ensure the best possible service experience for its veterans. Additionally, Adam Brown, vice president of national sales at Cinch, is helping HFOT to increase awareness for its Honor Home Program, which allows real estate professionals to support HFOT in their own communities.
To learn more about HFOT’s Honor Home Program, contact Matt Murphy (mmurphy@hfotusa.org), or visit bit.ly/3wJoZH.
To learn more about partnering with Cinch, contact Adam Brown (adbrown@cinchhs.com), or visit www.cinchhomeservices.com.
