WINDOW ROCK — For Navajo veterans who served our country and returned home to aging or unsafe housing, progress is finally taking shape.
On December 9, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren met with the Navajo Nation Veterans Administration (NNVA) Veterans Housing Program team to receive an update on strong staffing levels and continued progress in delivering safer, healthier homes for Navajo veterans and their families. Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Veterans Administration, Bobbie Ann Baldwin, was in attendance at the meeting along with representatives from The Sparrow Group.
The Sparrow Group, a Priority 1 contractor, remains a key partner in advancing this work. The company is 100% Native American owned, veteran friendly, Navajo employing, and union compliant, including the use of Union Carpenters to uphold high construction standards.
Supported by a $10.7 million contract, Sparrow Group crews are completing critical home improvements in some of the most remote and underserved areas of the Navajo Nation while supporting veteran workforce reintegration and creating Navajo jobs.
During the briefing, the NNVA team reported that 100 home remodels have already been completed, with homes being turned over on a consistent schedule. Improvements include new roofing systems, energy efficient windows, safer heating upgrades, and higher quality, low maintenance materials designed to last and reduce upkeep for aging veterans.
Despite this progress, NNVA shared that 192 veterans, surviving spouses, and Gold Star parents remain on the Home Improvement waiting list, underscoring the continued need to sustain funding and maintain strong contractor performance.
President Nygren emphasized that meaningful system improvement requires moving resources into the field, noting that funding cannot remain idle while veterans wait for safer roofs, reliable heating, and healthier living conditions. He stressed that real progress occurs when resources are actively deployed where the need is greatest.
He also reaffirmed that these home improvement projects carry deep significance for veterans, stating that renovated homes are more than construction efforts — they represent dignity, stability, and pride for those who have served.
