The McDermott House is an innovative new housing cooperative in Washington, DC which houses as many as 27 formerly homeless veterans making the transition to self-sufficiency.  The veterans are enrolled in VA's Compensated Work Therapy Program at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Washington, DC.

The McDermott House is the model for the nation and the first of its kind in the Washington, DC area.  McDermott House is a joint project of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the District of Columbia Housing Authority and the Chesapeake Health Education Program (CHEP), a non-profit organization.  Through a memorandum of agreement signed by Sanford Garfunkel, Director of the VAMC and David Gilmore, Receiver for the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), both agencies agreed to work together to provide safe and secure housing for veterans who are making the transition from homelessness to independent living.

DCHA has leased the apartment building to CHEP for $1.00 per year.  CHEP manages the building and provides around-the-clock staffing and VA provides case management services to the veterans living in the John McDermott House.

John views the naming of McDermott House, in tribute to his tireless work on behalf of veterans, as one of the greatest honors of his career.

• REPORT – Overview, September 2008

Mcdermott House Fund

John McDermott has established the McDermott House Fund, exclusively through his fan club, which will collect tax deductible donations for the McDermott House.  These donations will be used to support the work of the McDermott House by purchasing equipment that is needed. Periodically, we will tally the donations and post on the web the amount of money that John McDermott fans have raised to support this important cause.

Checks should be made payable
and mailed to:

McDermott House Fund
c/o Bunnygee Music Inc.
500 Avenue Road
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 2J6

John McDermott established the Hope McDermott Fund in January of 2000 shortly after his mother, Hope passed away.   Mrs. McDermott suffered a heart attack in November of 1999, and fought bravely, amazing doctors who originally predicted she might only have days to live.

Hope was born in Scotland, and married Peter McDermott of Donegal, Ireland.  She and Peter became the proud parents of twelve children, of whom John is the ninth.  They moved from Scotland to Canada in 1965.

Peter McDermott, John's mentor and greatest musical influence passed away in 1995; John memorializes his parents onstage at each performance with his father's cap and cane and his mother's scarf.  John often says that he inherited his dad's voice, and his Mom's good looks - clearly John and his brothers and sisters inherited much more than that.

John has asked that friends make donations to

The Hope McDermott Fund
c/o Bunnygee Music Inc.
500 Avenue Road
Toronto, Ontario M4V 2J6

The Hope McDermott Fund will become the foundation through which John hopes to initiate and support projects like the McDermott House in other cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

"Mothers teach you courage and compassion, dignity and humility in equal measure," says John.  "I can think of no better way to honor my own mother than to remember her through building awareness and compassion for people who have served, and in many cases, shown great courage, and now find themselves against odds greater than any wartime enemy."

Peter and Hope McDermott
hope mcdermott day program center at the 
new england shelter for homeless veterans

On October 12, 2000 John dedicated the opening of The Hope McDermott Day Program Center, a newly constructed annex of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, named in honor of Johnís mother, Hope, who passed away in January, 2000. The goal of the Hope McDermott Day Program Center is to reach out to veterans who are chronically homeless and who are the ìhardest to serviceî of the homeless veterans.

The Day Program Center will provide counseling and living-skills instructions to these veterans, as well as make sure that their basic needs (food, clothing, health care) are satisfied.p>It is a unique opportunity to fill a gap between the transitional services that the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans currently provides and needs of chronically homeless veterans.

Hope McDermott's legacy is humility, service, compassion, and courage.  She was not famous, and did not receive great public acclaim during her life, but true service is not boastful.  Her passing in January of 2000 inspired her son John, the ninth of her proud family of twelve children, to formalize his organization in his mother's name - The Hope McDermott Fund.

John realized that his seemingly infinite work ethic, his great success as a performer, and the balancing force of his keen sensitivity to the happiness and well-being of others, were all a direct result of Hope McDermott's Nurturing hand.

John's special dedication to veterans also came as a result of his mother's influence.  She recognized that the health and good fortune her own family enjoyed were in no small way ensure by the supreme sacrifice of her brother, Michael Griffin, in Bataan, and the courageous service of her husband, Peter McDermott in the Royal Air Force during World War II.

The importance of honoring sacrifices of those, like Michael, who did not return, and [reserving the dignity of those, like Peter, who served and returned home, became a chief cause of Hope McDermott's life.  The Hope McDermott Day Program Center symbolized those values, and also pays special tribute to those wives, mothers, sister, and daughters, who may never have worn a uniform, but whose humility, service, compassion, and courage, equaled that of the most decorated soldier, and played just as important a role in the preservation of our freedom.

At the opening ceremony, John presented a check for $17,355.70 to the Day Program Center which represents the total funds collected to date from the Hope McDermott Fund which is funded entirely by donations from John's fans around the globe.

John presenting a check for $17,355.70 from the Hope McDermott Fund to the Hope McDermott Day Program 
Center at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans at the opening celebration
Pictured (left to right): John McDermott; Tom Kelley, Commissioner of Veterans Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Tom Mattarazo, Commissioner of Veterans Services for the City of Boston; and NESHV Executive Director, Thomas J. Lyons
The unveiling of the plaque honoring Hope McDermott at the opening ceremonies 
for the Hope McDermott Day Program Center at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans