Remembering 9/11 First Responders: A Letter From Homes for Heroes

Twenty-five years ago, the entire country watched aghast as terrorist attacks sent commercial airliners into the World Trade Center’s twin towers, attacked the Pentagon, and had a third attack thwarted over Pennsylvania.

We watched buildings burn. We watched buildings fall. We watched in horror as survivors ran from danger. We watched as families across the nation waited for phone calls that would never come. 

Our country was irreversibly changed in a matter of hours. 

But what we also watched was the re-awakening of the collective American Spirit, the charge being led by our American Heroes.

And we will never forget our 9/11 first responders. Firefighters from the New York City Fire Department climbed into burning buildings. Police officers entered streets they knew were no longer safe. Paramedics and other rescue and recovery workers treated the wounded at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan on an unimaginable scale. Military members prepared to defend a wounded nation. 

Ordinary people made extraordinary choices, often without knowing whether they would make it home. Some did not.

In one of the darkest hours in our nation’s history, we actually discovered that our greatest strength was not found in our buildings, our wealth or our institutions. 

It was found in the American people.

And that’s exactly where the story of Homes for Heroes begins. 

We were founded after the events of 9/11 because our nation’s strength is derived from the rescue and recovery efforts of our first responders, medical professionals, educators, military and veterans.

And while these Heroes toil day and night to keep our communities safe, we can’t forget that home matters for our heroes just as much as it matters for the rest of us. 

Home is the place where a firefighter hangs up the gear after a long shift. Where a police officer walks through the door and becomes a spouse, a parent, a son or a daughter again. Where a service member returns after being away. Where a healthcare worker can finally exhale.

For twenty-five years, the work we have done together with our dedicated team of affiliates has made a REAL difference in the lives of thousands of heroes and their families. Since our founding, we’ve helped over 80,000 heroes find their place to call home, given $166 Million back to the heroes themselves, and awarded over $2 Million in grants from our 501(c)(3) Home for Heroes Foundation.

While we are so proud of what we’ve accomplished together over these past 25 years, there is still so much left to do. 

There are more heroes that need to be helped, more communities that need to be strengthened, and more work that needs to be done, so that we can help every hero find their place to call home – and I’m excited to be doing this important work together with all of you for the next 25 years, and beyond.

With gratitude and remembrance on this 9/11 anniversary,

Amit Kulkarni
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Homes for Heroes