‘Greatest experiences of my life:’ Local homeless veteran housed due to couple’s dying wish

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A couple’s dying wish was to house homeless veterans who had lost their way.

Their wish came true after a Brunswick Air Force veteran moved into the tiny home they bought.

Action News Jax spoke with this veteran who said he had been sleeping on the streets and at a cemetery for more than a year.

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Chris Lozada was in the Air Force for 10 years. Like most veterans, he suffered from post-traumatic stress, drug abuse, and injuries after his service. He also caught a felony charge after self-medicating on the job.

Lozada was able to walk away from his past when he met Honey Sparre.

”Honey is a blessing. She came to me at my lowest on the streets,” Lozada said.

”I met an individual who was sleeping on a sleeping bag in a cemetery. I looked for ways for him to become more self-sufficient,” Founder Operation Barnabas volunteer Honey Sparre said.

With nearly 20 years of helping the homeless in Glynn County, Sparre sought outside help for Mr. Lozada. That’s when she partnered with Operation Barnabas who specializes in helping homeless veterans.

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”Since 2017, Operation Barnabas has taken almost 200 homeless veterans off the streets of mostly Northeast Florida,” Founder Operation Barnabas John Green said.

Green told Sparre that he has a tiny home for Lozada that was bought by a Clay County family.

”The Pizur family. Ron Pizur and his two children bought this for 30 thousand dollars. In honor of their mother who passed away of cancer at the age of 50,” Green said.

Ron Pizur died a year after his wife. The couple’s dying wish was to use this tiny home to house homeless veterans. And Lozada is the first out of the many veterans that will be using this tiny home to get back on their feet.

”It’s one of the greatest experiences of my life so I’m very thankful,” Lozada said.

The non-profit organization drove the tiny home from Clay County to this mobile home park where Alterman Commercial Real Estate donated a section for the tiny home to support the organization’s cause.

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