What’s Good: Homes for Heroes helps family move closer to support for their son

GRANGER, Ind. (WNDU) - A Granger family is settling into their new neighborhood thanks to some help from Homes for Heroes.

Their oldest child Grayson is on the autism spectrum so it’s important for them to live near resources to support him.

While Grayson aged out of many of the programs they used when they lived in South Bend, moving to Granger now made the most sense.

A move they thought wasn’t possible at the time is now a reality through Homes for Heroes, their way of saying thanks for what the Szuba’s do at work every day.

John, a firefighter.

“With helping people, I just--to me it’s part of the job. It’s really all we knew what to do and even though it’s a job, it’s a really meaningful job,” John Szuba said.

Brittany, a cancer nurse.

“Turning that switch on to help people, it never really gets shut off, so it’s always ingrained to go to where the need is and always make sure those people are taken care of,” Brittany Szuba said.

Their oldest child, five-year-old Grayson, is diagnosed with autism.

They’re a family that knows how to help--whether it’s for their community or for each other.

“Grayson is still at the special needs preschool. We held him back one more year so he’ll start kindergarten at Horizon next year,” Brittany said.

Caring for a child on the autism spectrum comes with additional challenges, so when the Szuba’s needed to move closer to resources for Grayson, Homes for Heroes decided to lend a hand.

“With John being a firefighter and Brittany being nurse they’re double heroes. They reached out and we were honored to be able to serve them and it’s a small way to show some appreciation and honor what they do every day,” said Jim McKinnies from McKinnies Realty.

While McKinnies and the other folks from Homes for Heros are no strangers when it comes to helping first responders, health care workers, veterans, or educators move, the receiving end of help is unfamiliar territory for the Szuba’s.

“Usually we figure out a way whether it’s hard or extra work or whatever, but really the Homes for Heroes program made it so smooth, and so easy, and it was so great to work with them,” Brittany said.

After facing some of the toughest challenges for a first responder and healthcare worker while on the job during the pandemic, this show of thanks can’t be appreciated enough.

The Szubas also have a three-year-old daughter and they live right down the street from her future school.

The Szuba’s are just one of the thousands of people who’ve gotten help from Home’s for Hero around the country.

They’ve paid out nearly $90 million to more than 50,000 heroes since they started.

Much of that aid comes right here to Michiana.

“We’ve been able to donate over a million dollars and almost 1,000 heroes have been served within our community. That’s 1,000 families that are receiving honor and appreciation in a tangible way,” McKinnies said.

The Szuba’s made their move to Granger this past summer with the help of Homes for Heroes.

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