Stand Down Gives Vets a Chance at Fresh Start
Scores of homeless veterans continued to enjoy a reprieve from life on the streets Saturday as they camped out on the Ventura College football field during the second day of the annual Stand Down program.
About 200 homeless vets from Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties participated in the three-day effort designed to provide them with social services that could lead to a better life.
“I’ve been able to get some services here which will help get me into [federally subsidized] housing and get a doctor’s appointment,” said Artiv Macho of Santa Barbara, who said he fractured his arm and wrist while serving in Da Nang in 1968.
Like many veterans at the county’s fifth annual Stand Down, Macho receives a disability pension for his injury. But it is not enough to pay for permanent housing, he said.
The first Stand Down--which in the military means taking people out of combat zones to safety--convened in San Diego in 1988. Now, 90 such events--seven of them in California--take place annually across the nation, organizers said.
Thirty percent of the homeless population are veterans, and 60% of those are Vietnam veterans. There are about 74,000 military veterans in Ventura County, nearly 3,000 of whom are homeless, organizers said.
“We feel that homeless veterans, who have been on the front lines and in the trenches and have given their all to defend our country, should be made a priority,” organizer Claire Hope said.
Hope, who has been active in the Stand Down efforts in California since the first one was staged in 1988, said the events have created numerous success stories.
“Many of our volunteers are vets who came to a Stand Down in years past,” Hope said. “Sometimes it takes them two or three years, but they come back and help out.”
One such veteran is David Walker. Homeless during last year’s event, he has since moved into a trailer park in Nyeland Acres. This year he returned to entertain the less fortunate with his clown act.
Walker, who served in the Marine Corps between 1971 and 1982, said he is the grandson of the man who played Bozo the clown. He has carried on family tradition and now performs professionally as a clown.
“I just want to be able to give these guys some fun experiences and allow them to enjoy life a little,” Walker said. “Tomorrow will be hard for them.”
Ventura’s Stand Down offered an eclectic range of activities and services. Available Saturday were essentials such as food, clothing, a place to sleep and medical appointments, as well as nonstop music, Frisbee and card games.
The event, which began at 8 a.m. Friday, will conclude about 1 p.m. today when the veterans will be bused back to the communities from which they came. Organizers hope the participants take the makings of a support network with them.
Steve Davis, chairman of the California branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said his organization runs an “adopt-a-vet-program” that connects the homeless veterans with volunteers in eight offices around the county.
“The volunteers try to help them with completing paperwork to get social services or medical services or even just helping them get their car fixed,” said Davis, who was an Air Force mechanic from 1961 to 1982 and now lives in Ventura.
Saturday evening, the program included a memorial to those soldiers killed and missing in action, as well as a tribute to prisoners of war. A USO-like show also was provided by local entertainers.
Today, a closing ceremony will give departing veterans a chance to reflect on the three days of sanctuary and support.
“They will talk about their experiences here and what they hope to do now,” said Sharon Dwyer, the event’s co-chairwoman. “It’s an amazing thing to listen to.”
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FYI
To volunteer for or contribute to the Stand Down effort, contact Stand Down Chairwoman Claire Hope at (805) 987-0048
