Two Army corporals who were seriously wounded overseas now have something most homeowners spend 30 years paying off: a house, free and clear, built around their needs.

Cpl. Eddie Ward and Cpl. Roberto Cruz-Arocho received the keys to their specially adapted, mortgage-free homes in San Antonio, a small community about 10 miles east of Land O' Lakes in eastern Pasco County, on Aug. 9–10, according to Tampa Bay 28. The homes were built and donated by Homes For Our Troops, a national nonprofit that constructs custom residences for severely injured post-9/11 veterans at no cost to the recipient.

The bonus: Ward and Cruz-Arocho are now next-door neighbors.

Ward, an indirect fire infantryman with the 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, lost his right leg above the knee after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan in 2011. The injury made his previous two-story home in San Antonio, Texas, increasingly difficult to navigate, prompting his move to the single-story adapted home in Florida. He plans to teach scuba diving in his new community.

Cruz-Arocho was paralyzed after being shot by a sniper during an eight-and-a-half-month deployment to Iraq in 2005. Years of physical therapy eventually restored his ability to walk, though he still copes with leg stiffness, balance issues and periodic reliance on a wheelchair. He previously lived in nearby Wesley Chapel before moving into his new home.

Each home includes more than 40 accessibility features tailored to the veteran's injuries, including widened doorways, roll-in showers and automated systems that reduce the risk of falls. Both homes were built by Jacksonville-based Elizabeth Evans Custom Homes, a veteran-owned firm led by retired Army Col. Elizabeth Evans Weiss, which has previously built Homes For Our Troops residences in nearby Wesley Chapel.

"I don't have to be worried about getting injured or falling again," Cruz-Arocho told Tampa Bay 28. "It's like being reborn. You feel like you're in a place that you belong. In a place adapted to you and your needs, and that's huge."

Ward said the financial relief changes his outlook. Without a mortgage, he can direct money toward savings and goals he might otherwise have deferred for decades.

How Homes For Our Troops works

Since its founding in 2004, Homes For Our Troops has built 441 specially adapted homes nationwide, with 69 more projects underway. The organization reports that nearly 90 cents of every dollar it spends goes directly to program services. About 75 percent of its operational budget comes from individual donors, private foundations and community fundraisers; the remaining 25 percent comes from corporate supporters.

Veterans make up roughly 10 percent of Pasco County's population, nearly 47,000 residents, including more than 10,000 who served during the post-9/11 Gulf War era.

How to help

Residents who want to support the mission can donate at hfotusa.org, call 866-787-6677, or join the monthly giving program Operation Lasting Support for as little as $15 per month. More than 100 veterans are currently in the application pipeline for a home.

Upcoming community dates

No additional Homes For Our Troops events in Pasco County have been announced. Residents can check for local volunteer and fundraising opportunities at hfotusa.org.