LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HOMELESSNESS

BRONX, NY- Veterans are coming home and unable to receive the benefits they are entitled to. With the war on terrorism continuing our Veterans are coming home to more problems than they did before serving our country. I have met with community leaders, agencies, and organizations for help but the cycle of disappointment is now unbearable. Those that promise help fall through once the pictures are taken and those charged with receiving money to help Veterans with housing put impossible restrictions towards the achievement for assistance.

My name is, Gonzalo Duran; I was a Sergeant with United States Marine Corps whom was deployed to Iraq and completed 8 years of service during my tenure. My father purchased a home shortly after I enlisted and while I was deployed he had a heart attack. He then became bedbound and died two years later while I was still in the military. I am respectfully requesting the public’s assistance with saving my family’s home. I plan to use this home to help Veterans within my community to readjust to pre-deployment living. I believe this could be, the model for other agencies and organizations to emulate a more efficient Veterans housing program. By the use of my family home my goal is to show that we as a community can reclaim dozens of vacant lots or homes, and convert them for transitional and therapeutic uses of our Veterans.

These last two years, I have worked to advocate for my fellow Veterans and the Bronx community. I have gathered information and resources for others to use and help them transition into civilian life, in the hopes of avoiding the conditions I faced post deployment. Recently I opened a Veteran & Community Resource Center to help bring national resources to the Bronx Veteran Community and to bring awareness to the Bronx Community about Veteran’s needs. The house I am trying to save is across the street from the Community Center and across the street, where my father spent more than 10 years working to save the funds to buy a home.

Devil Dog USA Inc. is a non-profit Veteran ran organization for Veterans. Our office is a hub for resources for Veterans and the community. Our goal is to bridge the gap within the community and Veterans. We are completely staffed by volunteers and ask for donations of equipment and services via tax-deductible monetary donations. You can receive more information from our