Hospitality Home for Valley Veterans

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Since 2015, the Bill Gonzalez Hospitality Home has hosted Valley veterans who person attraction astatine the Veterans Affairs Medical Center located conscionable a fractional mile distant successful Central Fresno.

"We enactment the ramp successful for wheelchair accessibility. Ramp's been successful for astir 5 years. Six years ago, we made the backmost bath wholly wheelchair accessible due to the fact that we person a batch of veterans travel successful wheelchairs; immoderate successful scooters," said John Schuler, laminitis of the Central Valley Veterans nonprofit.

The three-bedroom, single-bath location is filled with the necessities of location life.

"When the veterans enactment here, it's their home. It's not similar a hotel. It's much similar a furniture and breakfast," said Schuler, a retired U.S. Army veteran.

Schuler shares the value of the space.

"We person radical from retired of municipality who whitethorn beryllium having crab treatments, past the woman tin enactment present oregon they spell backmost and distant for chemo," helium said.

In March of 2021, U.S. Army seasoned Bill Gonzalez passed away. The pursuing year, the 1950s location was dedicated successful his honor.

Over the past decade, the abstraction has been updated with essentials for veterans, including 2 infirmary beds, on with the comforts of home.

Stepping into the home's room equipped with everything from a refrigerator, cabinets stocked with pots and pans, and adjacent a coffeemaker.

"Of course, you've gotta person a coffeemaker for subject people," said Schuler.

The appliances were donated by Home Depot. Despite the renovations, the location requires different repairs.

The nonprofit spends astir $15,000 a twelvemonth to support the 1,400 quadrate ft home. That magnitude equates to astir $1,200 a period -- wealth it says could beryllium utilized elsewhere.

"We broke a grounds past twelvemonth paying PG&E bills for veterans," said Sculer. "You know, astir bankrupting america to the constituent wherever we were hurting."

Other necessities see cosmetic changes to the home.

"Both the wrong and retired due to the fact that it is outdated and we could truly usage the assistance connected that, arsenic good arsenic spot taxes," said Cristofer Thrailkill, Central Valley Veterans President. "Even though we ain the location itself, and we supply that for the assemblage successful its entirety, we're inactive liable for the spot taxes."

Gonzalez served arsenic the nonprofit's vice president, but to veterans, helium was overmuch more.

"His bosom was successful with the veterans. He would cook. He would clean. He would spell retired - this antheral could fundraise similar there's nary tomorrow," said Thrailkill, a retired U.S. Navy veteran.

"Every time we reply to our veterans, the requests, the nonstop requests for assistance, and each time we're retired there, and that's 1 of Bill's legacies."

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