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When Marco and Josephine Romero first entered the doors of The Salvation Army Hospitality House in Tucson, Arizona, 15 years ago, they needed a safe haven for their young family of five. They learned firsthand the benefits of working with The Salvation Army to find a place they could call their own.
But after their youngest went off to college in 2020, mounting bills, two knee replacement surgeries and an unstable living situation rendered the couple’s empty nest overwhelming. The Romeros were determined to rise above these setbacks on their own, and took drastic measures to do so.
“We lived in our vehicle for six months,” Marco Romero said. That living situation proved to be a harrowing experience. At 6’4”, he found it hard to get comfortable enough to heal post-surgery. Josephine Romero’s identification and cell phone were stolen during a carjacking. “You find a lot of people who do not have good intentions,” he said.
One place they’d trusted before and knew they could rely on again is The Salvation Army Hospitality House. Contrary to some of the people they encountered while living in their vehicle, the Romeros met with Salvation Army employees and shelter residents who treated them like family. In fact, their caseworker, Mary Robles, is just about as close to family as it gets.
“I found out that they grew up not too far down the block from where my grandparents lived,” said Robles, who has been a caseworker at the Hospitality House for three years. “It was a nice reminder as to where my roots were because that’s where I started doing my community work.”
The Salvation Army Hospitality House in Tucson offers a number of services, including a 21-night stay, rental assistance, deposit assistance, starter kits to help people get settled in their new homes and more.
Working with Robles, the Romeros regained momentum in less than two months. Marco Romero leveraged his more than 35 years of experience in welding to secure a new job, and Josephine Romero found work at a restaurant not far from the Hospitality House. During their off time, the couple volunteered within the shelter by helping with laundry and even decorating for the holidays.
“It’s a great place to get back on your feet for people who want to use the system correctly,” said Josephine Romero, now a full-time GED student who plans to pursue her dream of becoming an X-ray technician.
“We tried to tell everyone to keep [their] heads up, and when the time comes, [they’ll] get on [their] feet,” Marco Romero added. Indeed, thanks to their steadfast work, that’s exactly what happened for the Romeros. By January 2024, they were ready to move into a new place for just the two of them.
“We are so grateful The Salvation Army Tucson is here and was able to help us get back on our feet. We will be forever thankful.”
Josephine Romero
When Robles speaks about the Romeros, she couldn’t be more proud. “They had a lot of hurdles to get through, and they pushed right through them together and really gracefully,” she said. “They were really nice. A lot of people can get down on themselves in these types of situations and get angry at the world — they weren’t that. They were trying to better their situation with what they had.”
Robles continued, “They were able to breathe, to find what their goals were, find what their plans were, and execute them.” It’s this respite that The Salvation Army Hospitality House provides for the community. “They were able to do that in such a short time frame and it was astonishing,” she said.
The Romeros are excited to spend their first Arizona summer in their new home, complete with air conditioning. “I am 54 years old and lived in Tucson pretty much my whole life. The nicest thing I have now is a fully air-conditioned house,” Marco Romero said with a laugh. “I’m looking forward to 115-degree weather when I can come inside and it be 80, I’m waiting for that so much.”
They know things would not have turned around so quickly for them if it had not been for Robles and Hospitality House. “The Hospitality House Shelter’s employees were very welcoming,” Josephine Romero said. “We are so grateful The Salvation Army Tucson is here and was able to help us get back on our feet. We will be forever thankful.”
Though their kids have left the nest, their new home is anything but empty. “We have our second bedroom set up for our grandson… a safe backyard,” Marco Romero said. “We’re happy.”
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