`IT'S A GODSEND'
Veterans receive needed services at Stand Down event
Bob Thompson spent a few minutes Friday morning intently filling out a clipboard of paperwork in the lobby of the Homeless Alliance's West Town campus.
The campus usually has a handful of visitors, but Friday morning it was filled to the brim.
Thompson, a Navy veteran, was there along with dozens of other veterans to participate in the annual Stand Down event, a daylong gathering of service providers meant to give veterans in need housing assistance, dental and vision care, food aid, and clothing.
“When you're living on a limited income, paying for these services can be really hard,” said Thompson, who came primarily to receive dental care. “We did do a lot with our service for our country, but now it's really hard. I'm 68 now, and I do need some help.”
Service providers included the Oklahoma VA Health Care System, the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, the state Department of Human Services, various employment and educational organizations,
legal aid, veterinary care, and more.
“It's incredible because from a social worker' s perspective, going to one of these places could take all day,” said Cale Powers, the homeless program coordinator for the VA. “Today we get to do a lot of them in just a few hours. … It's a one-stop shop.”
One hundred and twenty nine veterans were identified as homeless in Oklahoma City's 2019 Point-In-Time count. That number has been on an overall downward trend since a high of 188 homeless veterans
in 2013, and now veterans make up about 10% of the city' s homeless population.
Currently, the community houses an average of 10 to 15 veterans a month, said Homeless Alliance spokesperson Kinsey Crocker.
With Stand Down in September, the goal is to house closer to 40 this month.
On the day of Stand Down, the Homeless Alliance shuts down i ts campus to those who are not veterans, and all services are offered to all veterans without some of the usual stipulations, like whether someone was dishonorably discharged, if they saw combat and more, Crocker said. An estimated 200 veterans will receive services.
Jerry Hance, an Army veteran, said learning about the different services available to veterans was helpful.
“Maybe you remember a handful of services in your head, but they've got a list that looks like the Bible,” Hance said. “I didn't know we had that many services. That was eye opening.”
The event name `Stand Down' refers to a phrase that “originated during WWI when soldiers were pulled back from the trenches for physical and mental respite,” according to an event press release.
Veterans usually are dealing with problems such as post- traumatic stress disorder, a lack of familial support and substance abuse problems.
These compound issues take a focused effort to address, Powers said.
“Veteran's homelessness is different because these folks struggle in ways that the general public typically don't,” Powers said. “These folks volunteered for service and did things that the rest of us haven't. They go through unique situations, but they are tough and resilient, and we are lucky to get to work with them.”
For Michael Perkins, a Navy veteran, the fact that service providers and others would put on an event specifically for veterans left him in tears.
“Some of the fell as really need this bad ,” Perkins said. “It's a godsend. Nothing short of that.”