Veteran-led Bay Area group helps thousands of vets with assistance, housing

Josue Hernandez feels nostalgic looking back at his pictures in the Marine Corps. 

"These are pictures of my time in the service. Like an example, this is when we were on our way back from Afghanistan," he told CBS News Bay Area. "This is our whole company altogether."

As an infantry rifleman, Hernandez served two tours in Afghanistan.

"I'm the post 9/11 generation, so witnessing that as a young kid growing up in San Francisco, just want to do my part," he said. 

After leaving his military career, Hernandez said it was difficult to get back on his feet when he came back home. 

"I'm not exaggerating it. I was one step away from legitimately being homeless in San Francisco. As a prideful person, I didn't want to ask for help from family, friends, because it felt like such a letdown from being in the military and now it feel like I'm going backwards and not forward," he recalled. 

Hernandez took that leap of faith, by seeking help from Swords to Plowshares. It's a Bay Area nonprofit where they live by the motto of vets serving vets. 

"Because of the way the system is set up, a lot of veterans fall through the cracks. And those are really the veterans that Swords to Plowshares is there to serve," Elena Kim, chief operating officer and combat veteran, told CBS News Bay Area.

Kim added, "We also have job navigators, folks that help folks get housed, get jobs. And we serve hot meals at our sites every day. We pride ourselves on really focusing on minority veterans the LGBTQ+ veterans, women veterans, veterans of color." 

According to Kim, the group serves more than 3,000 veterans yearly, and are housing 500 veterans in the nonprofit's permanent supportive housing. Swords to Plowshares is also helping an additional 500 veterans through eviction prevention dollars, but that's not all. 

"With our federal partners not being as reliable as they have been in the past, so we have been very fortunate to partner with the city of San Francisco, we're actually opening up a brand-new veterans' housing site that's going to house 124 formerly homeless veterans," Kim said. 

This year, the nonprofit has honored post-9/11 veterans who demonstrated strength and courage after their military service. 

Hernandez has received this year's Profile of Strength award. 

"My role is to make sure that our veterans feel welcomed, they feel like that their service is valued," he said. "And they reconnect with themselves, but most importantly reconnect with one another."

Hernandez is now giving back to Swords to Plowshares as a community health worker for the past three years. 

"Like many veterans, we're very prideful. So, we don't like asking for help. I'm one of them, I will admit that. And it took a while to realize reintegrating back into society after being in the military especially years of our service, it takes a while to not only living one type of lifestyle but having to admit back to one," he said. "Over time, with time and patience and compassion, I was able to not only get back on my feet but really find what my purpose is and it's serving and giving back."

Hernandez has this message for those fighting their fight. 

"It takes real power and real strength to actually be willing to accept help. You'd be amazed or rather surprised how many organizations and how many resources are out there to help out veterans so that we don't repeat the same mistakes of the past, and continue moving forward together," he said.

Kim added that the grand opening ceremony for their new housing facility is later in November. Their goal is to begin moving veterans into new homes by December.