A hero of the homeless, Nederland’s Dr. Joseph “Doc Joe” Evans has not turned away anyone needing veterinary care in 30 years. In 2015, he said he donated 22 percent of his services.

“I was at the bottom of the pile for a long time,” Evans, 67, said. An alcoholic in recovery for many years, Evans hosts a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in his office and considers homeless people part of his family.

“I’ve been there and done that. I’m pretty empathetic. I get it. I want to give back,” he said.

Evans said his quality of life makes it worth it. He enjoys his work, is blessed with a good conscience and sleeps soundly at night.

“If you treat in expectation of monetary remuneration, you’re probably going to be unhappy. You’re thinking, ‘How much is this?’ When you treat the animal, you see the smile on their faces,” he said. “You see them when they leave. It makes it worthwhile. I’m not gonna go hungry.”

“It always comes back around,” Evans added, recalling treating a young woman’s pet at no charge and two months later unexpectedly receiving a check for $300.

Growing up on his family’s Nederland ranch, Evans saw “everybody helping everybody else.”

He was deeply inspired by teaching and practicing in New Zealand following training at Colorado State University. New Zealand’s subsidized large-animal medicine fostered a compassionate, “part of the whole” milieu where farmers and doctors were “all a big family,” he said.

Back in Nederland in 1986, Evans emerged from alcohol treatment. With spirituality and integrity at the center of his 12-step recovery, he realized he could give more.

“A lot of these things don’t cost me that much even though they’re charged out at a much higher rate. The actual costs of the medications, the costs of the drugs, isn’t that much,” he said.

As in New Zealand, generosity takes community. Affluent clients contribute to Evans’ “Nederland Veterinary Care Fund” by overpaying. Doctors and technicians donate time and labor as needed.

“My staff is stellar,” he said.

Evans has an extensive barter system, trading in items including eggs, a car, a houseboat and “lots of food.”

“People are very grateful,” Evans said, “This is way after the fact. It’s an old-town atmosphere.”

There are sacrifices. Some people attempt to scam, Evans said, and 30 to 40 percent bail on their payment plans. However, the majority make good, even if that means $5 or $10 per paycheck.

“We trust people,” he said. Financial arrangements are made by talking and getting to know someone, no documentation required.

“I get calls from Minnesota, California and Alaska — ‘What do you think?’ They know I’m not looking for the money.”