‘There Are People Who Care’: Marine Corps Veteran Finds Hope and a Home Through VA Outreach

For Marine Corps Veteran Denise Spykerman, some of the most meaningful things about having a home again are also the simplest.

Air conditioning. Electricity. Ice in the freezer. A kitchen where her daughter can cook pancakes.

“So many things we take for granted,” said Denise. “Just having power ... it’s amazing.”

After years of experiencing homelessness, Denise and her daughter are now settling into an apartment of their own. The move has been life-changing – but it didn’t happen overnight.

Denise’s path to housing included years of instability, lost opportunities, health challenges, and periods of profound isolation.   

It also included the persistence of Sergio Torres, a VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Street Outreach Social Worker who continued showing up, listening, and helping Denise move forward at her own pace.

“I wouldn’t have survived it without Sergio,” said Denise. “He’s been incredible.”

Taking On a Challenge

Born in East Los Angeles, Denise was still a teenager when she and a friend decided they wanted to see whether they could make it through the Marine Corps.

“I didn’t think I could do it,” she recalled. “It was a challenge.”

They did it — and Denise discovered an inner strength and determination that would continue carrying her through some of the hardest years of her life. “I have a strong will,” she said. 

Decades later, Denise had a stable life with her fiancé and daughter in the Santa Clarita area. She took care of her father as he lived with Alzheimer’s disease and never thought she could one day be homeless. 

That stability disappeared when her fiancé, their main provider, abandoned the family. Denise and her daughter moved into a recreational vehicle, but when it broke down, they eventually began living on the streets. 

“I became homeless when I was 55,” said Denise, now 62. “I wasn’t used to any of this.”

Her physical disabilities and chronic back problems made life outdoors even more challenging. Using a walker, she often struggled to move around, make it to appointments, and complete the many required steps for housing applications.    

Maintaining a functional phone was also difficult, and Denise often had no way to charge one. Encampment cleanups frequently left her displaced and caused important belongings and documents to be lost.

When she missed an appointment or couldn’t be reached, providers sometimes cancelled services – even though the circumstances that kept her from responding were often the same circumstances that made the help so critical. 

“Everybody is different,” said Denise. “You can’t have the same stock answer for everybody.”

Building Trust, One Visit at a Time

Torres first met Denise underneath an overpass while he was engaged in community outreach. 

A Marine Corps Veteran himself, Torres joined VA’s Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Street Outreach team because he wanted to become someone other Veterans could rely on during the most challenging moments of their lives.

When he introduced himself, Denise was initially hesitant to share her name or any other information. Rather than pushing her, Torres returned.  

He offered food, socks, and other supplies. He checked on how she was doing, and made it clear he would keep coming back. 

“Little by little, she started to trust me,” said Torres. 

He then learned that other members of the outreach team had been trying to locate Denise for months. 

For the VA Street Outreach team, meeting Veterans where they are means more than physically traveling to encampments and other areas in the community. It means recognizing that each Veteran has a different history, different priorities, and different reasons for accepting — or not accepting — help on any given day. “No two stories are the same,” said Torres. 

Sometimes a Veteran may be ready to talk about housing. Other times, a sleepless night, an encampment sweep, a health problem, or a traumatic experience may make it hard for them to focus on an appointment or paperwork.

“Our mission is to be present,” Torres said. “Maybe they’re not ready that day. It may take a few days, a few weeks, a few months or even a year. The team will always be present.”

Staying Through the Setbacks

As Denise began trusting Torres, she became more open to pursuing housing. Together, they worked with community organizations and developed a plan that would also account for the needs of Denise’s daughter, who has disabilities of her own.  

There were moments when it appeared housing was on the horizon. But when Denise experienced a serious health crisis and hospitalization, one prospective housing placement fell through. 

Torres continued searching for her.

When they reconnected about a month later, Denise told him she wanted to begin again. Torres helped her start over in the process, reconnect with services, and obtain the identification and other documents she’d lost. 

“There were so many different agencies,” said Denise. “But no matter what agency I was with, I was always with Sergio. He always coordinated everything.”

The process took more than a year of work between Denise and Torres, and followed six years of Denise trying to secure permanent housing.

Eventually, she received a housing voucher through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which pairs financial assistance from HUD with supportive services from VA. Denise and her daughter found an apartment they were excited about and got approved to move in. 

But receiving the keys brought a mix of emotions. After spending years outdoors and having lost so many possessions, Denise worried about leaving her things behind at the encampment. 

Torres listened.

He coordinated with community partners to transport Denise’s belongings to her new apartment. Those partners also helped with the security deposit, furniture, and other necessities. 

One of these partners was Victoria Torres (no relation to Sergio), from the nonprofit Hope the Mission. She was a critical part of Denise’s journey to housing, said Torres, helping to locate Denise on different occasions, coordinate transportation for, and support the final move. 

Sergio continues to remain involved so Denise and her daughter know that the support didn’t stop after they came indoors.   

“There may be a difference between what we want for somebody and what they want for themselves,” he said. “You have to meet each Veteran where they are.”

Looking Forward and Giving Back

As she settles into her new life, Denise is starting to think about the future. 

She hopes to have surgery that can help her stand upright and move more comfortably. She looks forward to seeing a dentist, coloring her hair, and feeling more like herself again. Eventually, she’d like to help others who are facing challenges like those she’s overcome. 

“I’d like to be able to give back once I’ve gotten myself together,” said Denise. “That’s very important to me.”

Her advice to other Veterans is simple: Keep going.

“Don’t give up. Keep trying, no matter what. Hang in there until you get something.”

She has a message for those who serve Veterans, too. “Don’t give up, and listen,” she said. “Listen to what your Veterans are saying.”

Torres believes Denise’s journey is a reminder that progress is rarely a straight line. But consistency, compassion, and patience can create the trust that makes progress possible, even in the most complex of situations.

Denise puts it another way.

“We’re Marines. We never leave anybody behind.”

From the solace of her new apartment, Denise wants other Veterans to know that there’s someone who may be looking to help them, ready to listen, and prepared to keep showing up.

“There are people that care,” she said. “There really are.”