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The intervention provides eligible homeless veterans comprehensive community outreach. Assistance includes case management, recovery programming, employment counseling, facilitating the appropriate Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, rental assistance, transportation services, health care, legal aid and emergency supplies. Reprieve from street life also includes comfortable cots, meals, hot showers, haircuts, medical check-ups and on-site courts that waive fines and fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cStand Down is a life-changing and life-saving event,\u201d said Darcy Pavich, Stand Down\u2019s program director and former Navy chaplain. \u201cStand Down is not about who helps you, it\u2019s about that help is given. We take hands and say, \u2018Welcome home. What do you need from me today?\u2019 From that, we give hope, restore dignity and help homeless veterans become people again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recognized as the \u201cmost valuable outreach tool for homeless veterans\u201d by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Stand Down offers respite from the daily combat of living on the streets. Veterans are met with a handshake, coffee and breakfast. Animals and possessions are stored under 24\/7 protection while men, women and families are assigned to a bunker. Volunteers then escort participants to clothing tents, showers, barbers, makeovers, medical, dental and optical services.<\/p>\n \u201cOur success is based on the moment veterans register,\u201d said Kim Mitchell, president and CEO of VVSD, who lives in Uptown. \u201cEveryone gets a goodie bag. Veterans are personally escorted to their bunks and showers and issued towels, soap and a hygiene kit. A local cosmetology university provides haircuts. Balboa Naval Medical Center provides medical services from doctors and nurses. Community partners include employment and church groups, housing organizations and rehab programs. There\u2019s even a spot to strum a guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything\u2019s jammed packed into a community of support,\u201d Pavich added. \u201cFor the military, it\u2019s like going home. Shaven and clean, no one hides. These men and women walk around proudly, communicating and connecting with peers and volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, the event will feature a bouncy house, arts and crafts, blankets, stuffed animals, and games for children.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery child should have every opportunity in the world,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cSo, we help parents find the resources to get these families off the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n Stand Down boasts 150 participating organizations and agencies, as well as more than 3,500 volunteers. Community service partners also include the Salvation Army, Father Joe\u2019s Villages and People Assisting the Homeless.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goodness of the community comes to the forefront,\u201d Pavich said. \u201cThere\u2019s amazing cooperation between the VA, state and federal policies. We\u2019re apolitical. Everyone gets involved.\u201d<\/p>\n One-third of Stand Down\u2019s committed volunteers are former homeless veterans.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople thank us for giving them their lives back,\u201d Pavich said. \u201cLives are changed and lives are saved. People become whole again. To explain Stand Down is to explain a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n San Diego touts the second largest homeless veteran population in the United States. Pavich said that returning to civilian life isn\u2019t always easy for military veterans. Citing post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health issues and substance abuse, some veterans \u201cspiral into a deep, dark place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe military teaches you character and discipline but oftentimes, people need guidance and direction for living outside of military structure,\u201d she continued. \u201cMany have tried and tried and tried. Doors slam so they quit and accept their fate with discipline and regularity. \u2018I live on the streets because I didn\u2019t know what else to do,\u2019 they say. Stand Down helps them realize that life doesn\u2019t have to be this way.\u201d<\/p>\n The majority of homeless veterans range between 50 and 60 years old; Pavich noted that this age group faces many challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cJob placement is difficult at that age,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd many lack medical care to fix what most of us can as we age. Criminal and felony convicts also have a tough time. Despite rehabilitation, few [employers] want to give them a chance. We see them doing better every day but finding people to give them a chance for employment is difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n Women are the largest growing group of homeless veterans. Refusing to admit their homeless status for fear of losing their children, many find themselves living in their cars.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen are socialized to solve the problem, not be the problem,\u201d Pavich said. \u201cChildren are clean and cared for, but they\u2019re living in a Volkswagen bus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf plans fall through when exiting the military, San Diego\u2019s cost of living and military paychecks don\u2019t match,\u201d Mitchell added. \u201cThere\u2019s a true misconception that life on the streets is easy. But it\u2019s not. You\u2019re always in protective mode when you have nothing. Stand Down is a safe haven. Veterans and their families relax. San Diego\u2019s High School upper ballfield turns into a village where everyone is good. We walk around and wave, just like we all do when walking by your neighbor\u2019s porch.\u201d<\/p>\n Pavich and Mitchell agree that Stand Down\u2019s homeless veterans rest their burdens while \u201clifting themselves up to the possibilities of change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny veteran could walk into a tent, see a program and say, \u2018I found my solution,\u201d Mitchell added.<\/p>\n Mitchell also stressed the importance of connecting with resources and bonding with other veterans because an individual may not feel quite as homeless if they have a friend.<\/p>\n Despite those who return to brave the elements of street life, others who embrace the possibility of change and connect with Stand Down\u2019s services and programs often become productive members of the community.<\/p>\n Success stories include a homeless veteran who attended Stand Down for 17 consecutive years. Each year, he declined to participate in a residential treatment program. At year 17, he finally accepted the offer to attend classes, therapy sessions and work with a case manager. Today, the 62-year-old is clean and sober, working a stable job, and living in an apartment.<\/p>\n The event ends with a graduation ceremony. According to Pavich, a renewed sense of pride is tangible after the program.<\/p>\n \u201cOn day one, these men and women walk in downtrodden,\u201d she said. \u201cOn graduation day, everyone gathers at their tents and march in formation \u2014 just like they did in the military \u2014\u00a0 to the stage to receive gifts and graduation hats. Although they may return to the streets, they do so coming from a place they\u2019ve belonged. A place they\u2019ve called home.\u201d<\/p>\n Ninety-two percent of those who attend Stand Down have been honorably discharged from the military.<\/p>\n \u201cDiscovering how these veterans have served their country is humbling,\u201d Pavich said. \u201cNow on the streets, it\u2019s the pause that says, \u2018This isn\u2019t right. No one should be living on the streets.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Stand Down opened its doors to homeless veterans in 1988 under the sponsorship of the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego, which was renamed the Veterans Village of San Diego in 2005. Refusing to accept America\u2019s overwhelming number of homeless veterans as acceptable, Stand Down was conceived \u201cfor veterans, by veterans\u201d to bridge the \u201cphysical and psychological barriers between service providers and recipients.\u201d<\/p>\n The Vietnam Veterans of San Diego was established eight years prior to Stand Down. In 1981, Vietnam veterans Jack Lyon, Bill Mahedy, Randy Waite, Paul Grasso, and Russ Kelly planned a \u201ccombat assault\u201d on the VA during a counseling session in response to the medical and psychological care awarded \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 to their Vietnam comrades.<\/p>\n Moderator Father William Maheday, who just happened to be an Army chaplain, suggested channeling their anger into positive action. And indeed they did, giving birth to the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego.<\/p>\n In 1988, Robert Van Keuren, the organization\u2019s then-executive director, became concerned about the increasing number of homeless veterans seeking services. Tapping into his Vietnam War \u201cstand down\u201d respite, he \u2014 along with Jon Nachison, the nonprofit\u2019s then-clinical director\u00a0 \u2014 initiated the first Stand Down event geared to aid homeless veterans. Now more than 300 Stand Downs occur nationwide every year.<\/p>\n Last year, 718 out of 853 total participants were veterans. Stand Down is described as an opportunity for transformation. Staff and volunteers believe that the human spirit will triumph over extraordinary odds.<\/p>\n \u201cStand Down is one of the most meaningful three days I\u2019ve ever experienced,\u201d Mitchell concluded.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone, everyone is forever changed by their experience at Stand Down,\u201d Pavich echoed.<\/p>\n Participants can pre-register online. Transportation to the event is also provided. For more information about the event, visit vvsd.net\/stand-down<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\u2018Stand](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/jump-image-2-e1529079822961.jpg\")
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