They are the first of their kind for Syracuse's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, homes specifically built for disabled veterans. YNN's Erin Clarke tells about the new project meant to give back to soldiers injured while protecting our country.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The days of war are much different from when Ed Chapman was in the military.

"More vets are surviving injuries that in previous engagements they might not have, so what that means is they're coming home with more injuries," said Chapman.

The Army vet, who now works for National Grid and is part of the company's Veterans Employees Research Group, wants to make sure that wounded soldiers returning home have a comfortable place to live. He brought up the idea to build homes suited for disabled vets to Syracuse's chapter of Habitat for Humanity six weeks ago and now the organization announced the start of construction for two such houses.

"They're handicapped accessible, they're accessible by wheelchair," said Executive Director of Syracuse's Habitat for Humanity Suzanne Williams.

Almost 290,000 veterans are considered 100 percent disabled. It's a startling statistic from the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Together, Habitat for Humanity and National Grid are working on this project to help those men and women live self sufficiently.

"We're hoping to be able to contribute a little bit towards the betterment of their living conditions." said National Grid Veterans Employees Research Group Vice Chairman Peter Allen.

The houses that will be built on this land don't have owners yet and that's because instead of choosing a family from a waiting list of about 200, like Habitat usually does, they're seeking out families who will be a perfect fit.

"We wanted to do two homes so that we have two families living side by side that could share services and support one another," said Williams.

The homes are slated for move in by December 2011 and then there are plans for expansion.

For more information about the homes, call Habitat for Humanity at call (315) 422-2230.