Tunnel to Towers Pays Off Mortgages for 30 Families of Fallen Service Members
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation marked Veterans Day by announcing that it had paid off the mortgages of 30 families of fallen service members. The families, from 22 states, represent nearly every branch of the U.S. military.
The foundation provides mortgage-free homes to surviving spouses and children of military members and first responders who died in the line of duty or from illnesses connected to their service. Its chairman and CEO, Frank Siller, discussed the mortgage payoffs, a new veterans housing community in Pennsylvania and an upcoming effort to support firefighters’ families.
“No. 1 is that we are paying off 30 mortgages to Gold Star families that lost their loved ones for our country,” Siller said. He noted that some service members have died from cancers linked to burn pits, while first responders continue to suffer from illnesses connected to the Sept. 11 attacks.
“On a day like today, we want to make sure that America doesn’t forget that there’s a great sacrifice always being made for our country,” he said. “We get to live in this great country. There are people out there that are still dying for us.”
The announcement is part of a broader pledge to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes in 2026, one for each New York City firefighter who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The foundation was established in the wake of the tragedy, and its work also supports military families and first responders.
Siller said more than 60 homes are expected to be delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas, bringing the total to 343 for the year.
Among the service members honored Wednesday were Army Lt. Col. David Briseno of Grand Prairie, Texas; Marine Corps Master Sgt. Khanh Tuan “Shane” Nguyen of Annapolis, Maryland; Army Sgt. Brandon Minneman of Olympia, Washington; and Navy Chief Petty Officer Ernest Lopez Jr. of Oakdale, California. Other families receiving support live in New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Massachusetts and elsewhere.
The foundation’s Gold Star Family Home Program aims to reduce the financial strain on families after the death of a loved one who served. Eligible surviving spouses with young children can receive a mortgage-free home, providing more lasting housing stability.
On Veterans Day, the organization also opened its Harrisburg Veterans Village in Pennsylvania. The community was built on the former Phoenix Mill property, where construction started in April 2025, along the Susquehanna River.
The site includes a 61-unit apartment building and 20 one-bedroom comfort homes, with space for more than 80 veterans in need of permanent housing. Residents can also access job training, help applying for veterans benefits, mental health support and addiction treatment.
Siller said some veterans struggle to adjust to civilian life after returning from deployments, and that those challenges can contribute to homelessness. “It’s not acceptable,” he said.
He said Tunnel to Towers had pledged several years ago to help end veteran homelessness. Over the past three years, the foundation has helped 27,500 homeless veterans leave the streets. Its approach includes converting hotels into apartments for older veterans and building small, independent homes on some properties.
The foundation says its work is intended to address more than housing alone, including emotional, financial and medical needs. Since launching its Homeless Veteran Program in 2022, it says it has provided housing assistance and supportive services to more than 20,000 veterans and 10,000 children.
Harrisburg joins Veterans Villages in Memphis, Tennessee; North Charleston, South Carolina; Houston, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. The foundation also supports veteran housing programs in Riverside and West Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas.
A Veterans Village in Denver is scheduled to open Dec. 9. Seven more developments are under construction and are expected to open in 2027.
