A fire has hurt a Clearwater charity’s efforts to help veterans. In particular, it's robbed them of a means of mobility.

  • 25-passenger van shuttled veterans to Bay Pines VA Hospital
  • Van caught fire in June
  • Charity hopes to raise $10,000 to buy replacement

The Homeless Empowerment Program's 25-passenger van, which shuttled veterans from their campus to the Bay Pines VA Hospital, caught fire in June.

“It was just all smoldering out from the front,” veteran Bobby Rannazzisi said. “It was sad. Some of the staff looked like they were ready to cry."

The shuttle was handicap-accessible, and made three round-trips to the VA every day, totaling nearly 6,000 trips last year.

"There’s a lot of disabled veterans, so a lot of us either don’t drive or can’t drive, so having the shuttle three times a day really helps out,” Rannazzisi said.

More than 100 veterans live on campus.

“Our folks, a very small percentage have vehicles and it is a barrier when it comes to access programs that they need,” Homeless Empowerment Program President and CEO Terrance McAbee said. “So when something like this happens, it really hurts.”

Currently, the charity is using a smaller, nine-passenger van, but it doesn’t have a wheelchair lift. Veterans who don’t get a seat on the van either have to cancel their appointment or take a long public bus ride.

"I have chronic fatigue, so it’s hard with getting on there, then the 2-hour bus ride, I am there for 2 hours, then I am coming back, so it makes it hard,” Rannazzisi said.

The shuttle cost about $63,000. The charity is working with insurance, but thinks it will still need to raise at least $10,000 to buy a new van.

For more information about the Homeless Empowerment Program's efforts in the area or how to help, visit their Facebook page.