The new Sergeant Gomez Veterans Housing Campus in Springfield has 20 units for male and female veterans who have struggled to find housing.
SPRINGFIELD — Over the past 30 years, Gumersindo Gomez has dedicated his life to his family and veterans, both of which he has called his "greatest passions."
"I arrived to Springfield as a crazy Puerto Rican, Vietnam veteran ... letting people know that we have given our blood for this country since World War I," said Gomez, the executive director of the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center on the corner of Franklin and Cass streets in Springfield.
On Friday, Gomez was able to show off the $2.8 million housing complex for homeless veterans named the Sergeant Gomez Veterans Campus, which will house 20 homeless veterans, but it's not only for Latino veterans, he said.
"Nobody that walks through those doors walks out of here with nothing. If we can't give them something, we'll give them a prayer and make sure that individual is pointed in the right direction, where they can get the help they need," Gomez said.
Construction on the complex, which is located on the same land as the outreach center, began in April 2015, but Gomez has been dreaming of this project for many years, he said.
"This is something I have always wanted, not for me, but for the veterans who have fought for this country and deserve a place to live," he said.
Gomez first saw a similar project in Brockton in 2009.
"That year I met Emily Rothschild, a veterans housing consultant, and she invited me to view a building in Brockton that had just opened for veterans," he said.
Gomez thanked Rothschild, who attended the event, for all of her work.
"We could not have done any of this without you, you are our everything," he said after also thanking everyone on his staff.
Veterans must apply to live at the coed complex, where one person is allowed per unit. They must be currently experiencing problems with housing and making under $17,500 a year, according to Darrell Johnston, property manager of the new complex.
The rent will be 30 percent of the veteran's gross earnings. The other 70 percent will be paid by the state, he said.
Veterans can stay at the facility as long as they remain at or below the maximum income threshold. If they end up earning more money, the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center will help them get alternative housing.
The building was constructed by Saloomey Construction Co., of Westfield, which also did the renovation of the outreach center across from the new complex. Money for both projects comes from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
Aside from the 20 rooms, which each has a bathroom, a kitchen and a small living area, there is also a conference room, a recreation area, a laundry room and 21 parking spaces.
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and state Reps. Carlos Gonzalez and Jose Tosado, both Springfield Democrats who have worked with Gomez to get housing for Western Massachusetts veterans, congratulated Gomez for his perseverance even when he was told many times there was not enough money for the project.
Gomez was also joined at the event by his sons, the Rev. Gumersindo "Manny" Gomez and Ward 1 City Councilor Adam Gomez. Manny Gomez opened the celebration with a prayer, and Adam Gomez thanked both his parents for their commitment to Springfield's future and veterans.
"When I was a kid, sometimes I would say 'I want my dad back, I want him home,' but now I understand my dad was a father to a lot of people," Gomez said. "To be a part of something this big, that's a dream come true for my father, it brings it all back, full circle, how important the times that he wasn't home were because I know he was taking care of family. Not necessarily our family, but our families in the city of Springfield."
State Secretary of Veterans Services Francisco Urena said Springfield is an example for the state and the nation.
"It is developments such as these, single units, 20 at a time, that make a difference in the bigger picture (of ending veteran homelessness ) across the commonwealth," he said.
A special tribute and plaque were given to the family of the late Sergio Kentish Fernandez, a veteran and the first president of the board of directors of the Puerto Rican Veterans Association of Massachusetts.
Applications for the apartments are now being accepted and can be obtained by calling local veterans service officers or stopping by the Bilingual Outreach Center on the corner of Franklin and Cass streets.