“I Didn’t Know Where I Was Going to Sleep.”

When Army Veteran Carlos Bezares called the Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Program, he wasn’t looking for a house. He wasn’t thinking about investment properties or building wealth.

He was trying to answer a much more immediate question.

Where am I going to sleep tonight?

Like many veterans facing housing instability, Carlos had reached the point where he knew he could not solve the problem alone. The uncertainty of not knowing where he would sleep had become overwhelming, and he needed someone who understood both the urgency of his situation and the housing resources available to veterans.

The VA Homeless Program referred Carlos to me because helping veterans find housing had become the focus of my real estate practice. Over the years, I had built relationships with thousands of real estate investors throughout the Chicagoland area, many of whom were willing to consider veterans whose circumstances might prevent them from qualifying through traditional rental channels. Those relationships were built long before Carlos called, but they became critical the day he needed them.

After learning about his situation, I immediately began contacting investors I knew, explaining that I had an Army veteran who needed stable housing. I continued making calls until I found an investor willing to give Carlos an opportunity.

Before the day was over, Carlos had a place to live.

That moment changed everything.

The rental home did not solve every challenge he faced, but it gave him something he had not had for quite some time: stability. For the first time in a long while, he no longer had to wonder where he would sleep each night. Instead of focusing every day on finding housing, he could begin focusing on rebuilding his life.

Carlos remained in that rental home for the next five years. During that time, he worked, rebuilt his finances and gradually regained the stability that had once seemed so far away. We stayed in contact over those years because we both understood the rental home was never intended to be his final destination. It was the foundation for whatever came next.

Military service had already taught Carlos discipline, responsibility and perseverance. Those qualities never disappeared during his period of housing instability. They simply became harder to apply while he was focused on meeting his most basic need for shelter. Once stable housing was no longer a daily concern, those same strengths began shaping the next chapter of his life.

Too often, discussions about veteran homelessness end the moment a veteran receives housing, as though obtaining an apartment somehow completes the journey. Carlos’ experience tells a different story. Receiving stable housing was not the conclusion. It was the beginning of rebuilding his financial future, restoring confidence and preparing for opportunities that would have been impossible while he was simply trying to survive.

Five years after moving into that rental home, Carlos was ready for the next step. The conversation was no longer about finding a landlord willing to take a chance on him.

It was about becoming a homeowner.

From Stability to Homeownership
Five years can change a life.

When Carlos first called the VA Homeless Program, our conversations centered on one goal: finding him a safe place to live. Five years later, those conversations had changed completely.

Carlos called me and said he was ready to buy a home.

As I listened, I couldn’t help but think back to the day we first met. I remembered making phone calls to investors, explaining his situation and asking whether someone would be willing to give an Army veteran a chance. I remembered the relief of telling Carlos that we had found him a home before the day was over.

Now, instead of discussing rental housing, we were talking about homeownership.

Moments like that are why I have dedicated my career to veteran housing. Watching veterans move beyond crisis and begin planning for their future is one of the greatest privileges of my work.

This time, the process looked very different.

Finding emergency housing had depended on the relationships I had built over many years with real estate investors who trusted my judgment and believed veterans deserved another opportunity. Purchasing a home required assembling the professional team that would guide Carlos through every step of the transaction.

As his REALTOR®, I coordinated the process from start to finish, helping Carlos evaluate properties, negotiate the purchase and navigate each stage of the transaction. My real estate team joined me throughout the journey, including a REALTOR® colleague who assisted with property showings, along with our trusted VA lender, attorney, home inspector, title professionals and others who worked together to help Carlos successfully purchase his first investment property.

Together, we found the right opportunity: a three-flat.

Carlos used the VA home loan benefit he had earned through his military service to purchase the property with no down payment and no private mortgage insurance. Watching him sign the closing documents was one of those moments that stays with you. Five years earlier, our goal had been finding a landlord willing to rent to him. Now he was becoming the owner of an income-producing property.

That transformation did not happen overnight.

It was built one decision at a time, one year at a time and one opportunity at a time.

Building a Future
Homeownership became the foundation for opportunities that once seemed out of reach.

As a disabled veteran living in Illinois, Carlos also qualified for the state’s disabled veteran property tax exemption, helping reduce one of the ongoing costs of owning real estate. Combined with the VA home loan, those earned benefits gave him additional financial stability as he continued building his future.

With a permanent home and growing financial security, Carlos expanded into business ownership by becoming the owner of a Mac Tools franchise.

People sometimes look at veterans like Carlos and see only where they are today. I see something different because I remember where his journey began. I remember the uncertainty in his voice when he needed housing. I remember the phone calls to investors. I remember handing him the keys to his rental home. Years later, I had the privilege of standing beside him again as he became a homeowner.

Those moments remind me that housing is rarely just about a place to live.

Housing creates the stability that allows veterans to rebuild careers, strengthen finances, pursue business ownership and begin planning for a future that once felt impossible.

More Than One Success Story
Carlos’ story is not simply about one veteran purchasing a three-flat.

It is about what can happen when a veteran reaches out for help, when the VA connects that veteran with someone who understands the housing market and when community partners are willing to say yes instead of no.

No one accomplishes that journey alone.

It took Carlos’ determination to rebuild his life. It took investors willing to open doors when he needed housing. It took a dedicated real estate team, lenders, attorneys, inspectors and title professionals working together when he was ready to purchase a home. Most importantly, it took time. Five years separated the day he moved into his rental home from the day he signed the closing documents on his three-flat.

Today, Carlos Bezares is no longer wondering where he will sleep. He is a homeowner, an investor and a business owner. Watching that journey unfold has been one of the greatest honors of my career because it serves as a reminder that veteran homelessness should never define a person’s future. With the right support, the right partnerships and the determination to keep moving forward, a search for shelter can become the foundation for a lifetime of stability.

To learn more about Mission Roll Call’s work uplifting veteran voices and advancing effective housing solutions, visit our Homelessness page:
https://missionrollcall.org/spotlight-priorities/housing-and-homelessness/
Mission Roll Call is committed to listening first. If you are a veteran, family member, caregiver or community partner, we invite you to share your story with us. Your experiences guide our advocacy and help us push for the changes veterans say matter most.

Your voice matters here. We encourage veterans, families, caregivers and supporters to share their experiences through Mission Roll Call’s national surveys. Your stories help shape policy, raise awareness and ensure veterans are seen and heard:
https://missionrollcall.org/surveys/

Understanding the truth brings us one step closer to ensuring every veteran has what they deserve: stability, dignity and a place to call home.

About the Author
Yvette Jones-Swanson, M.A., is a subject-matter expert on veteran homelessness and housing, an Army veteran, REALTOR® and national housing advocate. Drawing from her own experience as a formerly homeless veteran and more than 25 years of frontline housing work, she has helped thousands of veterans secure stable housing and connect with critical resources nationwide.
As Founder and CEO of VetMentors LLC and a Veteran Voices contributor for Mission Roll Call, she works to elevate veteran stories, strengthen housing solutions and ensure the lived experiences of veterans help inform policy discussions and practical solutions.