Mesa officer's nonprofit a lifeline for veterans

Nov. 11—Mesa Police Sgt. Marcus Brown remembers the incident that got the ball rolling on his nonprofit that helps fellow veterans.

The Gilbert resident at the time also was an active member of the Marine Corps League. Those current and former Marines look out for other Marines through mentoring and career counseling, support in deal with the Veterans Administration and other assistance.

"The straw that broke the camel's back for me, I was on patrol and got a call from a VA social worker about a veteran who had missed his appointment," Brown said. "He was in a wheelchair and his legs were swollen."

Brown said that the veteran had shown up for his appointment at the VA hospital but due to a glitch, he couldn't be seen and went home. He didn't have a way to get back to the hospital.

"So, I said, 'all right instead of complaining about it, do something about it,'" he said. "I felt like I could do more if started my own nonprofit."

So Brown created Veterans5-9, a reference that help is available to veterans outside normal business hours — nights and weekends.

"From 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the reality means my phone is ringing 24/7," Brown said.

The nonprofit engages with national community health partners and works closely with other veterans organizations to provide help with substance abuse and mental health treatment, food, lodging, employment and transportation.

A big challenge in the veteran community is eviction, according to Brown, who pointed to the price of housing in Arizona as the culprit.

Arizona is one of the top 10 states in the country with the highest rent increases, Yahoo Finance reported in July.

Brown said that many issues such as mental illness and substance use can be solved if more service members can get help to avoid ending up on the streets.

"Someone who's facing eviction, we can assist by getting a check immediately to their landlord," he said.

For the long haul, a partner agency will step in to provide the resources so the veteran can avoid being in the same situation again — such as help with finding a job or identifying long-term housing.

"Veterans who are homeless or lost their jobs, No. 1 is to get them to a shelter so they can think straight and then I will reach out to our resources and get their resume written and filled out and get the veteran hired," Brown said. "We work together to make sure they are stabilized."

According to Veteran Affairs, evictions, home foreclosures and homelessness among low-income veterans are higher than in the general population.

Brown's nonprofit also works with local police, jails and prisons to provide treatment and rehabilitation opportunities to veterans in the criminal justice system.

Since February 2020, Brown has helped over 580 veterans and their families. Plenty of testimonies from veterans can be found on the nonprofit's website.

"I was previously evicted from my apartment," Jesse wrote. "Unfortunately, I was up against the clock and the apartment was on the verge of throwing my things away.

"My life was in that apartment, including military medals that are very important to me. Due to it being a holiday weekend, I thought no one was available to help and all my things would be lost.

"Marcus and Veterans5-9 immediately assisted me without hesitation. All my belongings are now in a safe place. This will be the second time a Marine has saved my ass."

Brown said he wants to eventually position the nonprofit to be able to provide affordable housing and to shift from an emergency component to a full-service case management service.

"I think that would benefit the community more," he said.

Brown says he spends 40 hours a week outside his regular job at Mesa Police Department working on his nonprofit. Right now he has three volunteers who help.

Serving the community came naturally for Brown, who was born and raised in Casa Grande.

Just as he turned 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2004.

"I just looked at what was happening with 9/11 and felt like I could contribute," he said. "I was young, able and a willing body and America needed to be protected.

"Once I joined and saw the selflessness, putting others before you...it started me going down that path of serving."

Brown was deployed twice to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Although he didn't engage in combat, there were plenty of improvised explosive devices to worry about.

Brown said he left the Marines in December 2008 having earned the rank of corporal and headed home to Arizona to look for a job.

He ended up working as a correctional officer and later case manager in a Florence prison for the next five to six years.

"At that time, maybe later, I ended up jumping into veteran service work," Brown said. "While doing that I was getting my degree, a BA in criminal justice and continued working."

He said he later had the choice of advancing at work one level or going somewhere else that offered more opportunities. He chose the latter and decided to become a police officer.

"I probably took 12 tests before I got in," he recalled; "because there were like 400 to 500 people trying to become a police officer. It was tough to get in."

Brown said he put in his application all over Arizona and "Mesa just happened to have 18 to 22 positions and I made it in with them because they had more openings."

He went through the testing process in 2014 and then the police academy the following year.

He's been with the department for a decade, helping supervise the Red Mountain Station.

Brown's nonprofit work with veterans came to the attention of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society.

The society, which recognizes veterans for their significant post-military contributions on a local, state, or national level, this year inducted Brown and 18 other retired service members into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame.

Helping veterans is something near and dear to the 38-year-old Brown, who's dedicated all his free time to the effort.

"These people have signed a contract to lay down their lives for this nation and would do it again," he said. "I'll do it again and that selflessness — for you to come back home and not be able to get a hand up is just disturbing to me."

How to help

Veterans5-9 is funded with grants and donations. A big fundraising is taking place from 4-9 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 9, at Raising Cane's, 1930 E. Greenfield Road, Mesa. For anyone mentioning the fundraiser at the register, the business will donate 15% of sales to Veterans5-9.

Donations also can be made through Veterans5-9's Cash app, PayPal or Venmo link found on its website: lnkd.in/gqH2RaiC.

For more information about, go to veterans5-9.com.