Full Story: From Homeless To “Home Full”- How a Marine Veteran JP Pena Changed the Real Estate Narrative

Sergio Centeno
4 min readDec 14, 2020

Homelessness is probably one of the lowest points in many people’s lives. And guess what? The rift between the “haves” and the “have nots” continues to widen every other day. It is an open truth that in such a society, the homeless suffer the most. Statistics have shown that over half a million people experience homelessness every night in the US, and the number continues to rise.

JP Pena’s narrative is not different, either. He suffered the adversities, met the obstacles, and suffered homelessness. However, JP Pena’s story has a happy ending. He achieved his dream of owning a home and continues to help other veterans achieve their American Dream of owning a home. Today, JP Pena is an advocate for veterans transitioning from active service to entrepreneurship. He couples his expertise with educating veterans on utilizing their VA benefits to purchase their dream homes and also venture into the world of entrepreneurship. This article reveals JP Pena’s bitter-sweet journey of a ‘dream come true.”

When Darkness Falls

JP Pena was born in El Salvador. Life was good until civil war struck. JP Pena was only six years old, and the family had no other option but to move to the US as immigrants. JP Pena grew up in a small one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood, CA with 2 other siblings and his parents. Waking up every morning at 4:30 am to take the bus in order to help his mom clean homes was the norm prior to him getting to school. JP Pena always dreamed of designing homes and one day becoming a US Marine which became reality upon completing high school.

During a mission in Iraq, the unfortunate happened. JP Pena suffered a severe accident that left him 70% disabled. After 6 surgeries life was not the same. JP continued to serve for 4 more years in a support unit helping reserve infantry units getting ready to deploy for war. Upon honorably being discharged from the Marines Life became difficult. JP was in a complete mess; depressed, homeless, and broke. As if that was not enough, he also had a kid in the way. It was one of the most challenging moments in his life.

How JP Pena’s Change Of Mind Opened A New Chapter

JP Pena had grown up intrigued by challenges. He had the understanding that challenges shape one’s destiny. He knew that the more formidable his challenges, the more attractive his future became. Therefore his misfortunes were a turning point in his life. “What if I change?” This change was the question that disturbed JP Pena every time.

JP Pena remembered his earlier passion for architecture and design. His memories were still fresh of how he wanted to be an architect or build fantastic luxury homes, drawing some of the homes he and his mom would clean as a child dreaming of one day developing his own. Everything seemed so hard to obtain, felt impossible, he felt alone. However, JP knew well that if life offers you lemons, you can make lemonade out of it. He knew that all was not lost and that a new morning would soon dawn on him.

Disability Is Not Inability

JP Pena had a mission. He wanted to help veterans pivot and create financial freedom utilizing their VA benefits and pursuing their purpose. His goal was that, if anyone heard the word veteran, he wouldn’t think of a homeless or a drunk person, but a successful CEO, business owner, Entrepreneur. He wanted to change the narrative.

Today, Juan JP Pena is the owner of The JP Pena Group. The group was even voted as the number one realtor in Los Angeles. Also, JP Pena has been featured on Fox Sports with Jay Glazer. He has also featured on Bellator as veterans creating impact. Besides, he has sold over $500 M in real estate and served as an ambassador to MVP (Merging Vets and Players) part of the NFL and Jay Glazer from Marine to millions sold. JP Pena has also been featured on Fox11 as a real estate insider and Univision for Real Estate insider.

Conclusion

Do you want to accomplish your dream of owning a home in a fast and effective way? Or are you tired of being homeless and need inspiration? You can connect to Juan JP Pena or visit The JP Pena Group website for more information.

Well, no human is limited. All we need to do is change our mindset, embrace our failures, appreciate our hardships and obstacles when they arise, and forge forward towards our dreams. It takes a courageous heart to beat the odds and walk a journey of success. It is not yet late. You, too, can embrace your challenges, overcome them, and live your dreams.

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