Reporter’s Note: When tasked with a story on Tucson’s ongoing housing crisis, producer Dennis W. Fitzgerald felt inclined to honor his father and brother — who are both combat Veterans — with a story focused on homelessness among Veterans. When it came time to shoot the footage at Esperanza En Escalante, Dennis brought his five-year-old son Louis along since he had been wanting to help people experiencing homelessness. Louis shared a meal and played with the children of Esperanza’s Veterans, which turned out to be an immense contribution alone. “We often forget that there are young kids standing guard ‘on that wall’ protecting us all while we’re comfortable in our own homes,” Dennis said.
After serving six years in the United States military, 66-year-old Daniel Jones became one of about 10 million Veterans who do not receive any Veterans Affairs benefits.
“I don’t get no Veteran benefits because my blindness can’t be associated with my military service. It just seems like they’re waiting for you to hurry up and die so they don’t have to wait on you,” he said.
He said that Veterans, as a proud group, do not like to beg and should not have to.
Jones and over 10 million others represent about half of the U.S. Veteran population, including 35,574 people who were reported homeless on January 23, 2023 according to Point-in-Time estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Between 2022 and 2023, the total number of homeless Veterans increased by more than 7% which is the largest yearly increase in over a decade.
Suzanne Bond smiles on the Esperanza en Escalante campus in March 2023. Bond serves as the CEO of the nonprofit organization.
Suzanne Bond is the CEO of Esperanza En Escalante which is a Tucson-based nonprofit support system and housing development helping homeless Veterans bridge the gap between military and civilian life. Although some Veterans choose to stay on their campus, 80% eventually move out into their own housing, she said.
Bond said many Veterans “had a bad experience in the military and they just want to get away from that,” which is why they may be hesitant to use their VA benefits.
Housing units are offered to Veterans experiencing homelessness at Esperanza En Escalante. While some choose to stay there long term, about 80% of the program's Veterans go on to find permanent housing of their own.
Today, the organization is situated on about 14 acres of land donated by the Air Force base beside the Davis-Monthan Aircraft Boneyard. Their team helps approximately 250 Veterans per year, and is currently serving about 550 additional family members of Veterans, Bond said.
Jones said he feels like he belongs there and that there is a sense of camaraderie among the Veterans.
Jones said that “when you come back here, you don’t want to be the person that you were when you had to go to survive. They teach you to be warriors.”
At Escalante, he has been a volunteer and now works a job. He has barbecues with his friends and he said he finally feels hopeful again.
Daniel Jones barbecues with a friend at Esperanza en Escalante in March 2023. Jones said he feels a sense of camaraderie with the other Veterans staying there.
“I have a reason that I get up in the morning, you know, because I know I’m going to go have coffee with the guys and we’re going to have breakfast in the morning and we’re going to go do fun stuff. I could stay here the rest of my life,” Jones said.
“That’s part of our job here: is to just let them know they’re a human we value,” Bond said.
Nathania Chaney, a member of the organization’s Board of Directors, said Esperanza strives to help Veterans overcome the barriers that may have led them to face homelessness. In many cases, it’s post-traumatic stress disorder or sobriety issues.
“A lot of times it’s just a matter of helping them find the tools and connecting them with the right resources so that they can get all of these items completed and then confidently step into the community again,” Chaney said.
Armondo Felix and his wife smile on the Esperanza En Escalante campus in March 2023. Felix lives on the campus with his wife and three daughters.
Armando Felix, a 39-year-old Veteran, started in the National Guard, then transferred to active duty service in the Army where he served back-to-back tours for four years in Iraq.
During his first deployment, he was hit with an improvised explosive device which inflicted him with a traumatic brain injury. For years, he said he felt lost and he struggled to make ends meet.
Several years ago during the pandemic, his family of five was evicted and was turned toward Esperanza En Escalante.
He hinted at his Veteran pride, and said, “Coming here at first, I didn’t want to be here, you know? … I mean I have a family and I want a roof over their head.”
At Esperanza, he said he feels completely supported by their resources and the relatability to other Veterans’ experiences.
“A lot of Veterans feel like they’re alone, but we’re not though,” Felix said.
Brandon Williams smiles on the Esperanza En Escalante campus in March 2023. Williams served seven and a half years in the U.S. Army.
Brandon Williams is a 32-year-old Veteran at Esperanza who served in the army for seven and a half years and retired as a staff sergeant. He was in a rehabilitation center focusing on his mental health when he was referred to Esperanza.
“Most Veterans don’t know until it’s too late so we think because we’re such a strong soldier, we have a military mindset, we can handle everything that comes our way,” he said.
But Williams said Esperanza En Escalante is helping him transition from being a soldier to a civilian and he is about a year and a half away from graduating with his degree.
Chaney said the Esperanza team is always excited to share these proud moments with Veterans and Bond added: “We find that just providing them an environment where they can feel safe and secure and really start to work on their goals again is just a wonderful thing and because of that we see a lot of success here.”
For more information on Esperanza En Escalante and their efforts, you can check their website.
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