‘It’s everything’: Veteran’s family moves from motel into home thanks to nonprofits

STALLINGS, N.C. — A U.S. Army veteran and his family were provided a new home in Union County after spending a year living in a motel room.

Carl Roush enlisted in the Army after 9/11 and rose to the rank of sergeant first class.

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Roush’s family was living in the motel after their home in Fayetteville was damaged by water and mold.

The soldier was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq where years of combat left him with deep physical and emotional scars. They arrived at their new home Wednesday for the first time and were greeted with cheers from the community.

“It’s just too much,” Roush said. “Thank you guys so much.” The house in Stallings was built and furnished by a handful of companies and nonprofits led by Pulte Homes. “It feels great to be able to give something back to someone that’s given so much of their own time and their life for others,” said Steve Francis, with Pulte Homes. The emotion and excitement from the day will fade and when it does.

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Roush, his wife and daughter can start to heal now at their own home.

Nonprofits provide local veteran with new home in Union County

“All of our first memories with her have been on our hotel floor or at a friend’s house,” Roush said. “So, like, she actually gets to have a home now. Like it’s her world, and it’s beyond my world. So that’s it. It’s everything.” Pulte Homes has built more than 70 homes for veterans across the country, many of them with the help of the nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes.

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