Veterans United Home Loans Continues Expansion in St. Louis, Foundation Donates $500,000 to End Veterans Homelessness

COLUMBIA, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The nation’s largest VA purchase lender is continuing its expansion efforts in the St. Louis area. Veterans United Home Loans opened a corporate office in the area earlier this year and is looking to hire 75 new employees by the end of this year.

Veterans United is passionate about supporting Veterans and being a good community partner. These principles represent the core foundation of what the company stands for.

Today, the Veterans United Foundation announced it is donating $500,000 toward the purchase of the land for the new Veterans Community Project tiny house campus in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood in St. Louis. The campus will house Veterans experiencing homelessness and will include a Veterans Outreach Center for walk-in support services.

“Veterans United Foundation is excited to help Veterans Community Project get its start in St. Louis,” said Dr. Amanda Andrade, chief people officer at Veterans United Home Loans. “We look forward to the great work VCP will do helping Veterans get back on their feet in the community, just as they have across the state in Kansas City. With our expanding presence in St Louis, we are excited that we get to continue our work with VCP, and we would love to encourage other companies to partner with this great organization too.”

Veterans United believes in the promise of the GI Bill that every Veteran deserves to have a place to call home. The campus will be a pivotal step in eliminating Veterans' homelessness and provide the services that they need. More than 300 Veterans experience homelessness in the St. Louis region. Studies show that this population is twice as likely to become homeless as the larger population.

"The investment from the Veterans United Foundation helps make the dream of bringing Veterans Community Project to St. Louis a reality,” said Jason Kander, president of national expansion for the Veterans Community Project. “This gift ultimately means that together, we can rescue Veterans before they fall through the cracks in the system and it means that more of our brothers and sisters in arms are saved from the perils of homelessness. Most importantly, this gift will help ensure St. Louis Veterans will be mobilized to - once again - contribute to the community they call home."

This year, Veterans United has hired more than 1,000 employees and is projected to continue to hire at this pace for the foreseeable future. Seven percent of Veterans United Home Loans’ workforce are Veterans and currently-serving military members.

“Veterans United has recently expanded to St. Louis, where many of our employees have roots,” Andrade said. “We sincerely hope that as people work through the program at the Veterans Village, some of them may find employment with us in the future.”

The company recently received the Employee Support Freedom Award from the Secretary of Defense for its outstanding support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. Earlier this year, it was ranked by Forbes as the best employer in the State of Missouri. Militaryfriendly.com named it a top “Military Friendly Employer” with Gold distinction, and “Military Friendly Spouse Employer,” and by Fortune magazine as a “Best Company to Work For.”

If you are interested in a career at Veterans United Home Loans, please visit our careers page at veteransunited.com/careers.

About Veterans United Home Loans

Based in Columbia, Missouri, the full-service national lender financed more than $16.4 billion in loans in 2019 and is the country’s largest VA lender. The company’s mission is to help Veterans and service members take advantage of the home loan benefits earned by their service. The company’s employee-driven charitable arm, Veterans United Foundation, is committed to enhancing the lives of Veterans and military families nationwide by focusing on supporting military families and nonprofit organizations that strengthen local communities. Veterans United Home Loans and its employees have donated more than $60 million to the Foundation since its founding in November 2011. Learn more at EnhanceLives.com.

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VeteransUnited.com | 1-800-884-5560 | 1400 Veterans United Drive, Columbia, MO 65203 | NMLS ID #1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). A VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Equal Opportunity Lender. Mortgage Research Center, LLC.