VA heal thyself:
Operation stands down to prepare the homeless
By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer
When a single mother walked into the National Guard Armory in April during the VA’s Operation Stand Down and asked for help, it was an act of courage.
As an agency that routinely deals with the aftereffects of combat, the national network of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics has been witness to many instances of courage, but this was on a different level.
The woman, with her three children in tow, told her story: She and the children were living in a car and existing on soup kitchen meals. She wanted to get a job and a place to stay, but she had few clothes, no one to watch the children even long enough for a job interview and no address to put on an application.
The volunteers at the Armory swung into action. The children were cared for while the woman was led to the facility’s showers. A volunteer styled her hair, another helped her select business clothes and shoes, yet another led her to a career counselor who assisted her in the job search.
By the end of the day, she had several interviews lined up. By the following week she was employed in an office, and within a month she and the children had moved into an apartment.
The woman later told VA workers that had it not been for Operation Stand Down, she and the children probably would have remained on the streets.
“She had no idea where to go or what to do,” said Tonya Lobbestael, public affairs officer for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston. “She just heard about the program and made her way there. She said that one of the things that gave her courage to speak up was knowing we were out there reaching out to people like her.”
For the seventh year in a row, and the second time this year, the RHJ VA is sponsoring a project to assist the homeless in the area.
Operation Stand Down will be held Oct. 26-27 at the South Carolina National Guard Armory on Lackawanna Boulevard in North Charleston. The VA is co-sponsoring the event with Goodwill Industries of South Carolina. Volunteers are expected from the Naval Weapons Station, the Air Force base, the National Guard and other local agencies.
The drive behind the program is simple: a dire need exists.
“One out of seven homeless males in the United States is a veteran,” said Dr. Florence N. Hutchinson, acting director of the RHJ VA. “That’s an alarming statistic, but it shows why this incredibly important program got started.”
Operation Stand Down was modeled after the stand-down concept used during the Vietnam War to provide a safe retreat for units returning from combat operations.
At secure base camp areas, exhausted troops were able to take care of personal hygiene, get clean uniforms, enjoy warm meals, receive medical and dental care and relax in a safe environment. The stand down gave the battle-weary soldiers the opportunity to renew their spirits and their health and to recover an overall sense of well-being.
Today, Operation Stand Down refers to the grassroots, community-based
intervention program designed to help the nation’s homeless veterans combat life on the streets.
The program is carried out through the work of hundreds of volunteers and organizations throughout the nation. The first Stand Down was held in San Diego in 1988, and since then, the program has been recognized as one of the most valuable outreach tools for assisting homeless veterans in the nation.
The program is considered successful because it brings the services to one location, making them more accessible to homeless veterans. In most locations, Charleston included, the services extend to all homeless, not just veterans.
Stand Down provides a broad range of necessities for the homeless, including food, clothing, medical services, legal and mental health assistance, job counseling and companionship.
“This is an opportunity to reach out to the homeless population, both veteran and non-veteran,” said Lobbestael. “The original concept was to assist homeless veterans, but we reach out to everyone in need.”
Lobbestael said Operation Stand Down is part of an extensive homeless outreach program at the VA.
“We have two full-time social workers (at the RHJ VA), and we underwrite the cost for veterans to stay at several shelters in the area,” she said.
Operation Stand Down is held at more than 80 facilities across the country at various times of the year. In Charleston, it is held typically in the fall, but last year it was postponed until April due to events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. The upcoming event will put the program back on track with its fall schedule.
In April, 992 people were served, of which 280 were veterans and 712 non-veterans. The 992 included 605 men and 387 women. Due to the large turnout, the VA is considering whether to offer the program twice a year.
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