Stand Down 2002 - A Hand Up
to 150 Homeless Veterans
West Collingswood, NJ - On Friday, September 20, from 8:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m., the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
(DMAVA) and Stand Down of South Jersey, Inc., will be co-hosting Stand
Down 2002 at the Excelsior Scottish Rite Auditorium in West Collingswood.
DMAVA, along with many volunteers, civic organizations, and both public
and private support agencies, is holding the Stand Down to provide homeless
veterans with access to healthcare, mental health screening, substance
abuse counseling, social services availability, religious counseling, a
hot meal, a haircut and winter clothing. Stand Down’s ultimate goal
is to show disenfranchised veterans that someone still cares and to assist
in bringing their homelessness to a close.
In prior years Stand Down has been held at the Cherry Hill Armory, Fort
Dix or Naval Weapon Station Lakehurst. Last year Stand Down was canceled
(after September 11 National Guard activations.) In 2000, more than
130 homeless veterans and their families attended the Stand Down.
Three of the veterans were admitted directly to Veterans Haven (a transitional
housing program for New Jersey’s homeless veterans.)
“On any given night there are 341,000 veterans estimated to be
homeless, up from 274,000 in 1995,” said Col. Kathleen Morrissey, New Jersey
Army National Guard. “About one-third of the homeless in the United
States have served in the Armed Forces. The number of homeless Vietnam
veterans exceeds the number of servicemembers killed during that conflict.
There are currently 7,000 homeless veterans in New Jersey.”
Stand Down comes from the military term referring to exhausted combat
units that were removed from the battle front to a place of security and
safety for rest and recovery. Today Stand Downs are a grass-roots,
community-based intervention program to help homeless veterans battle life
on the streets. The program was based on a philosophy of a hand up
not a hand out. The first Stand Down was held in 1988 in San Diego.
Today more than 80 are held annually to reach an estimated 100,000 homeless
veterans.
The organizations supporting Stand Down 2003 are DMAVA, Stand Down of
South Jersey, Inc., the U.S. Veterans Administration, The Retired Officers
Association, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and their Ladies
Auxiliary, Marine Corps League and their Ladies Auxiliary, American Ex-Prisoners
of War, Veterans of Foreign Wars and their Ladies Auxiliary, Gold Star
Wives, Jewish War Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, Burlington County
Veterans Services Office, Camden County Veterans Services Office, Camden
County Board of Social Services, Community Services of Camden County, U.S.
Department of Labor, the Fort Dix post chaplains, Ventnor Vets Center,
Interfaith Homeless Outreach Council, Veterans Haven and the Cooper Health
System which includes Community Health Affairs.The Food Bank of South Jersey
provided the food needs for the Stand Down.
“In our country’s time of need these fine men and women were willing
to jeopardize their lives to defend our homes. Now in their time
of need the community needs to work together to support and honor our local
unsung heroes,” said Ellen McDowell, president of the Maple Shade Rotary. |
