TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — ‘Esperanza - A fresh start for homeless vets’ has been helping veterans move out of homelessness and get the tools they need to be successful for 35 years, and that includes updating facilities they walk into everyday.
When you walk into Esperanza's veterans' case management office, the floor is uneven and the tiles are loose.
Suzanne Bond, Esperanza's CEO says it has been in use for 14 years and over time the foundation has suffered.
"Manufactured buildings have floors that fluctuate and so now we have so many missing tiles," Bond said.
It’s been a priority to fix the campus for Bond because she feels it's important for the veterans to feel safe and at home.
So she set up a repair campaign in 2024 in hopes of raising $25,000 and was surprised with the outcome.
“And in the end we raised $52,000 which is going to help us to get floors in some of the housing too," said Bond.
Bond says it's important for the office to look good because the veterans who come in are looking for a welcoming space after being homeless.
"And so the new veterans come in that door and so many times they are feeling ashamed, their pride has taken over, they've waited way too long to ask for help and are in a very desperate situation," Bond explained. "So when they walk through the door, we want them to be in an environment that feels homey to them and getting that new floor is going to create that new environment."
Bond hopped on board with Esperanza in March of 2023 and helped turned the organization around.
In 2024, Esperanza served about 250 veterans, 71 transitioned to independent housing off-site, and 96% of the veterans maintained their housing at Esperanza.
"Our goal is really to help people get reestablished and they come with so many skills and they're just amazing people," said Bond.
Navy veteran Daniel Jones who goes by “Jonesie” says he’s thankful for Esperanza because it helped him get back on his feet after leaving blind rehab.
“When I came here, I got my hope back. I had no plans when I came here, you know? When I came here I was barely on minimum social security so it's really hard to find a place when you only make so much money," explained Jonesie. "Esperanza helped me get back on my feet, enjoy life, and then when I did stumble a little, they brought me back here and said 'hey shape up."'
Jonesie started as a volunteer and now works at Esperanza, happy to be on the other side assisting homeless veterans and their families.
"We have a little saying. It's 'help us to help them' and so after you get out of here, you get back on your feet and you want to pay it back," Jonesie said. "If no one reaches out to pick them up, the veteran ain’t gonna get up."
Jonesie wants other veterans in need to know they aren't alone and Esperanza is there for assistance.
"It's the families that we want to try and help because they're out there living in their cars and tents out there in the middle of the desert because they have nowhere else to go. What do you do? You know, you're gonna survive. So you're gonna do whatever it takes," Jonesie said. "So what we try to do is help get rid of that feeling, get you back up there. Yeah, I am somebody. I can make it. And it becomes a success story or whatever, because homelessness isn't caused by drugs and alcohol all the time."
Bond invites the community to come volunteer and get to know the veterans.
"You could host a game night, or if you have some special skill, do a training. Just having people come and visit the veterans, it's important, even if you're just a good listener, they love a ear," said Bond.
Bond says the next goal is to raise $300,000 to take care of more maintenance and infrastructure issues on Esperanza’s campus.
If you would like to donate, visit their website.
