A United States Army veteran who had been having a hard time trying to find a place to stay after being discharged from the military now officially has a roof over his head — a house to call his own — and it’s all thanks to a generous few. A donation from his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I was bouncing place to place. It’s overwhelming joy, happiness.”

Veterans Path Up, a local assistance program, gave the keys to the vet, Joshua Grimmage, after their volunteers restored it after taking it off the hands of the city. Before the renovation, neighbors had been complaining of its ramshackle appearance, they deemed it an “eyesore.”

“It’s just a lot man. Everything, there’s a lot of people that don’t have and I’ve already strived to get it, so to have it regardless of the circumstances, I’m very thankful,” Grimmage said.

He plans on spending Thanksgiving at his new abode with his seven-year-old daughter. He also plans on buying the place officially in a few months.

“It’s that broken-window effect where you take a home that hasn’t been used in years, and you rehab that house, and you put a vital family in there, especially a veteran and it really makes a difference,” said Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department Officer Greg McTigue.

In the past year alone, the charity program has restored and donated three homes. All for veterans.

This from WSOCTV.com:

Vietnam War veteran Willie Davis moved into his home and founder Ken Lacy said all the homes appear to have a major impact on each other.

“Willie is an inspiration to Joshua and that feeds on itself, and we just looking for that to continue in this community and all the communities that we touch,” Lacy said.

Sheila Douglas lives next door and is also an Army veteran.

She said Veterans Path Up has impacted her life and she’s excited to welcome her new neighbor.

“I feel very safe, but I’m just proud to be a veteran today,” she said. “I’m proud to be in this neighborhood, and I don’t think I would want to go anywhere else.”

To learn more about Veterans Path Up, click here.