Central California Vietnam War Veteran Gets a Home Makeover

A Central California Vietnam War veteran received a home makeover free of charge from his community on Tuesday.

Ervin Chabrouillaud, of Grover Beach, says once he retired, his income came to a halt, making it difficult to stay afloat with bills and other expenses.

“I did the best I could on what I could on what I had,” Chabrouillaud told KSBY.

Chabrouillaud reached out to Social Services for help with his situation and connected with the nonprofit group Central Coast Veterans Help Veterans.

“He (Chabrouillaud) had actually received an eviction letter from his landlord to de-clutter his property, make improvements,” Michael Patrick of Central Coast Veterans Help Veterans said.

Patrick said the nonprofit did what they could, but decided that this was a job for a much bigger organization to take on. So Patrick reached out to the Home Depot in San Luis Obispo to see if they could help out, which in turn, referred them to the Home Depot Foundation.

The Home Depot Foundation gave a grant for 15 volunteers to show up to paint Chabrouillaud’s home, replace his shed, install new planter boxes, and gift him with a barbecue.

“It’s just actually really rewarding,” said Jacob Long, manager of Home Depot in San Luis Obispo. “It’s a great thing that Home Depot has to offer. Not very many corporations have this kind of funding to not just give to the community.”

Chabrouillaud is not the first veteran to receive a home makeover for free. In November, one military veteran with special needs children was gifted thousands of dollars in home repairs.