NeighborWorks Southern Mass. yesterday unveiled a new fundraising initiative to support construction of new homes for returning veterans and their families.

The Home Sweet Home for Veterans campaign will help fund the construction of 12 new homes the organization has begun building on East Howard St. in Quincy. The homes will be rented to returning veterans and their families.

The announcement was made at a Veterans’ Day-themed breakfast at the Inn at Bay Pointe.

"No one that has ever worn the uniform of this great nation should struggle to find a roof over their head … By maximizing our state, local and private resources we are able to conceive projects like this that will ensure Massachusetts continues to lead the way and becomes the first state in the nation to end veterans’ homelessness," State Secretary of Veterans’ Services Coleman Nee said in a statement.

Forty percent of all homeless men are veterans, and during any given year, 400,000 veterans experience homelessness, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.

"Today’s returning veterans have different needs than previous generations," NeighborWorks Southern Mass. Executive Director Robert Corley said in a statement. "Many are older and have families, making it even harder to find a safe, affordable place to call home."

NeighborWorks Southern Mass. plans to leverage $80,000 in state tax credits the agency received through the state Community Investment Tax Credit Program to jumpstart the campaign. Through that program, individuals or businesses that contribute $1,000 or more to the organization will receive a 50 percent state income tax credit plus an additional charitable deduction on their federal tax return.

NeighborWorks Southern Mass.’s work on veterans housing issues dates back to 1996. Since 2012, the agency has built or renovated four homes on the South Shore for veterans’ and their families.