Veteran Nicholas Alwine stands on the steps recently built through the Nonprofit Development Corporation's Veteran's Home Modification and Repair Program.

A 71-year-old veteran and Butler native was the first to benefit from a local group’s home repair program.

The Nonprofit Development Corporation’s (NDC) Veteran’s Home Modification and Repair Program works closely with human service organizations such as VA Butler Healthcare to identify physically impaired veterans who need home repairs or adaptations that cost more than other available funding provides.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Nicholas Alwine needed a hole in the roof of his home repaired. That’s when he was referred to NDC by the VA.

At that time, the hole “was leaking straight into the house.”

Alwine was very pleased with the repair, saying the Community Builders Group — a division of NDC that offers “affordable, quality construction and supportive services” to the community and nonprofit organizations — quickly found and fixed the problem.

But additionally, the Community Builders Group assessed damage to the house’s entrance.

“The steps were cracked and rotting away,” Alwine said. “The second step you couldn’t walk on, as it was giving way.”

The railing along the stairs was broken to the extent that Alwine couldn’t even hold it if attempting to ascend them, and the sidewalk was chipped, making the route even more dangerous.

“If it weren’t for the repairs and their hard work, we wouldn’t be able to use the front porch or door,” he said.

To provide funding for construction permits and job materials, the NDC received a grant from the Home Depot Foundation, which focuses on improving the “homes and lives of U.S. military veterans and their families.”

The NDC encourages others to fill out program referral applications.

“I am very grateful to have this work done for me,” Alwine said.