A tai chi instructor led retired Navy Veteran, Kevin Granfors, down the path of home ownership. Granfors, who served three years active duty and in the reserves, learned about the HomeFront Veterans Home Ownership Program (HomeFront program) during his regular practice at Crooked River Tai Chi in Parma.
Interested in purchasing his own home, Granfors contacted the Cuyahoga Land Bank and quickly learned he qualified for the HomeFront program.  The program allows veterans interested in purchasing either a move-in fully renovated home or a home that will be renovated with the assistance of the Cuyahoga Land Bank.
Finding a new home was easy as well. Granfors, a maintenance supervisor at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, was on a work assignment when he noticed a home for sale in a nice, quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn. The home was recently renovated with the assistance of the Cuyahoga Land Bank. Granfors, who enjoys working on cars and rides motorcycles during his free time, described his new house as “a garage with three bedrooms.”
“I was able to purchase a move-in ready house in a great neighborhood,” said Granfors. “The Cuyahoga Land Bank made the home buying process simple and easy to navigate.”
The HomeFront program launched in November of 2013 with a $100,000 grant from the Cuyahoga County Council’s Veterans Services Fund and $100,000 of support from the Cuyahoga Land Bank.