Hospitality Home for Valley Veterans

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Since 2015, the Bill Gonzalez Hospitality Home has hosted Valley veterans who receive care at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center located just a half mile away in Central Fresno.

"We put the ramp in for wheelchair accessibility. Ramp's been in for about five years. Six years ago, we made the back bathroom totally wheelchair accessible because we have a lot of veterans come in wheelchairs; some in scooters," said John Schuler, founder of the Central Valley Veterans nonprofit.

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

"When the veterans stay here, it's their home. It's not like a hotel. It's more like a bed and breakfast," said Schuler, a retired U.S. Army veteran.

Schuler shares the importance of the space.

"We have people from out of town who may be having cancer treatments, then the wife can stay here or they go back and forth for chemo," he said.

In March of 2021, U.S. Army veteran Bill Gonzalez passed away. The following year, the 1950s home was dedicated in his honor.

Over the last decade, the space has been updated with essentials for veterans, including two hospital beds, along with the comforts of home.

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

"Of course, you've gotta have a coffeemaker for military people," said Schuler.

The appliances were donated by Home Depot. Despite the renovations, the home requires other repairs.

The nonprofit spends roughly $15,000 a year to maintain the 1,400 square foot home. That amount equates to about $1,200 a month -- money it says could be used elsewhere.

"We broke a record last year paying PG&E bills for veterans," said Sculer. "You know, almost bankrupting us to the point where we were hurting."

Other necessities include cosmetic changes to the home.

"Both the inside and out because it is outdated and we could really use the help on that, as well as property taxes," said Cristofer Thrailkill, Central Valley Veterans President. "Even though we own the house itself, and we provide that for the community in its entirety, we're still responsible for the property taxes."

Gonzalez served as the nonprofit's vice president, but to veterans, he was much more.

"His heart was in with the veterans. He would cook. He would clean. He would go out - this man could fundraise like there's no tomorrow," said Thrailkill, a retired U.S. Navy veteran.

"Every day we answer to our veterans, the requests, the direct requests for assistance, and every day we're out there, and that's one of Bill's legacies."

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