HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- The Veteran Committee for Homeless Services Council of Southwest Indiana is hosting the annual Veteran Stand Down event at the C K Newsome Center in Evansville, on September 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
In times of war, a Stand Down referred to the times where combat units were removed from the battlefields to a place of relative security and safety. In the military, Stand Down afforded battle-weary soldiers the opportunity to renew their spirits, health, and overall sense of well-being. Today’s Stand Down affords the same opportunity to homeless or at-risk veterans within our community by bringing these veterans together in a single location to provide access to the community resources needed to focus on improving their quality of life.
During the Stand Down event local homeless and at-risk veterans are provided with a broad range of necessities including food, clothing, medical, legal and mental health assistance, job counseling and referrals and companionship and camaraderie. It is a time for the community to connect with the homeless and at-risk veteran population and address the crisis that affects our community.
“The goal of this event is to allow our local veterans to access resources they may not even now are available to them and to ultimately end veteran homelessness,” said Megan Dyer, Program Coordinator for ECHO Housing’s Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program. “By bringing all of the local veteran service providers under one roof, a veteran is able to access any services they may need now, or in the future. This event is not just for homeless veterans. We also want to focus on those that may be at risk of losing their home, unemployed or have financial instability, among other barriers that may result in future homelessness.”
According to the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, on a single night, roughly 582,500 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. Of those, 33,129 are Veterans, and Indiana ranked 3rd of all 50 states with the largest number of veterans experiencing homelessness.
