By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Community leaders and families gathered on Friday afternoon for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to
open a set of new houses for homeless veterans.
The “tiny homes” for veterans are the culmination of a vision by the Del Rio organization Finding
Our Brothers and Sisters (FOB) to help veterans in need of
(center) shows guests a tour of the inside of the tiny homes made to shelter homeless veterans.
FOB is a non- profit organization focusing on helping homeless veterans restructure their lives.
James Powell, vice president of FOB, said it was overwhelming to see the houses being
completed and revealed to the public. “Now it is time to put in the work,” Powell said. (Photo by
Louis Zylka)
permanent housing, giving those
veterans a place to re-establish their lives. Two one-story houses can be seen on 7162 U.S.
Highway 90 West along with a main office building for FOB with an extra room.
FOB is a non-profit organization focusing on helping homeless veterans by giving them a place
to stay until they restructure their lives and become “productive members” of society. Adrian
Bitela, founder of FOB who served as an infantry squad leader in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan
from 2011-2012 and 2013-2014, said the houses were built by John Anthony Homes and
Development, which started construction in January.
FOB is spearheaded by five key members: Bitela, James Powell, vice president; Chris Villarreal, outreach
coordinator; Celso Barrientos and Alex Lemarr, sergeant-at-arms.
More than 60 people attended the event, including Mayor Al Arreola, members of the Del Rio
City Council, members of the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce and Val Verde County Sheriff’s
Office Chief Deputy Joe Ortiz. Goodie bags and refreshments were provided for the guests who
attended.
All the members of FOB began the event by thanking the guests for attending the reveal of the
houses. Other guest speakers at the event were Ron Zaleski, founder and executive
director of The Long Walk Home, a non-profit organization
(FOB) pose for a picture during the ribbon cutting of the “tiny homes” created on Highway 90 for
homeless veterans. The small houses at 7162 U.S. Highway 90 West were built to help
homeless veterans by giving them a place to stay while they re-establish their lives. Adrian
Bitela, founder of FOB, said he waited a long time to see the houses completed and revealed to
the public. (Photo by Louis Zylka)
tasked with helping veterans and
Brittany Smith, representative of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales.
After the speeches, FOB members and community leaders joined for a group photo and the
ribbon cutting for the houses. Then guests were free to explore the insides of the houses.
Bitela spoke with The 830 Times after the event and talked about FOB and its mission. Bitela
said he worked for the county by helping veterans file claims for compensation. Through his job,
Bitela met Powell and created FOB by getting bicycles for veterans and saving money in 2019
to build homes.
The huge push for FOB was when the organization partnered with Gonzales, who lobbied for
FOB more than three years ago to receive a $1 million grant.
Bitela said “(The grant money) is where the dream was made,” adding that it took years to get
the project going. He then talked about his thoughts on finally seeing the houses completely
built and mentioned how his heart was full from seeing his organization’s dream become reality.
Friday and were built to give a temporary home to homeless veterans. The houses were built
under the vision of Finding Our Brothers and Sisters (FOB), which used Community Project
Funding (CPF) grant money through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), with the assistance of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. Brittany Smith, representative of
Gonzales, attended the event and thanked the members of FOB for carrying out their mission to
help veterans. “These homes are more than structures. They are symbols of dignity, stability
and a second chance for the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country,” Smith said.
(Photo by Louis Zylka)
“It went from borrowing $20 from your friend to having three houses . . . I think we all need to
get to a part of our lives where we say, ‘Hey, I’m okay. I made it. My kids are fine.’ And I
survived. I survived the war. I survived my wife’s death. And I’m still here. Can I give back to
someone who felt like me?” Bitela asked. “The goal is to continue to give back because I want to keep my heart full.”
