CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Veterans who are homeless or at risk of losing their housing will have an opportunity to connect with resources and support through an upcoming Veterans Stand Down.
Stand Down events are designed to bring services together in one location, giving veterans an opportunity to seek help with needs ranging from housing and employment to health care and veterans benefits.
The concept is rooted in the military use of the term “stand down,” when troops temporarily withdraw from the field to rest, receive medical care, get clean clothes and meals, and recover in a safer environment.
Martin Longoria, a representative with the Mayor’s Committee for Veteran Affairs, said the local event is focused specifically on veterans struggling with housing.
“This event is tailored to help those veterans that are homeless or about to go homeless so it gives them an opportunity to where they can come out and receive services, uh, to find a, find a, you know, find somewhere to live or some type of assistance to, to help them,” Longoria said.
Longoria said a number of organizations and programs are expected to participate, including veteran and social service organizations, Endeavors, the Disabled American Veterans Ladies Auxiliary, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and VA programs focused on health, homelessness and suicide prevention.
The idea is to give veterans a central place to learn what assistance is available and connect them with the organizations that can provide it.
That support can also continue after the Stand Down. Longoria said organizations can identify what a veteran needs and help connect that person with appropriate services.
“Uh, if a veteran needs to be housed, they'll work with him to get him housed or get him the services that he needs,” Longoria said.
What should veterans bring?
Longoria recommends veterans bring identification and their DD-214 military discharge paperwork if they have them.
However, veterans who do not have those documents should not let that stop them from attending.
“The VA can still assist them and they are a veteran get their DD-214 and the documentation that they need,” Longoria said.
Longoria said obtaining that documentation can also help veterans enroll in the VA system, where they may be able to access health care, mental health services and housing assistance.
For veterans who may feel embarrassed or hesitant about seeking assistance, Longoria said the Stand Down is intended to be a welcoming place.
“You know, don't be embarrassed. We all need some type of help at one time or another, you know this is an opportunity to where we're coming out to service you the best, the best way that we can, and we're to help. We're here to help one another. That's what we're here for and that's what it's about veterans helping veterans,” Longoria said.
Longoria is also asking people who know a veteran experiencing or facing homelessness to help connect them with the event.
“if they know a veteran that's homeless or about to go homeless and need services, please bring him out so he can, we can help him find the services that he needs,” Longoria said.
For organizers, the Stand Down is ultimately about lowering barriers and giving veterans a place to begin asking for help, whether they need housing, health care, benefits or another form of assistance.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
