American
Indian Warriors Member Juan del Rio, USMC Participated in the 2014 Veterans
Stand Down
By Roy Cook What
is a Stand Down? VVSD organized the nation's first Stand Down in 1988. Since then, the program has been widely replicated nationwide. Today, more than 200 Stand Downs take place across the country every year. "The program has become recognized as the most valuable outreach tool to help homeless veterans in the nation today," according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
AIWA member, Juan del Rio, is part of Amikas, an organization that provides housing to homeless women veterans. They shared a table with the County of San Diego's Housing & Community Development (HCD) at Stand Down, providing affordable housing and shelter information. Amikas provided an up-to-date list of available housing resources including transitional housingand affordable rentals, helping to minimize the hundreds of fruitless calls often required to find housing.
Amikas serves female veterans, with or without children. They directly lease and then sub-let rooms in 1 large house and 3 smaller houses, "at cost". Currently Amikas houses 13 adults and 15 children. You can find out more about Amikas at www.amikas.org where they also provide lists of housing resources. What
happens at Stand Down? And last but not least, meals were prepared by VFW, American Legion, VVSD, Kiwanis, and supported by the Lions Clubs, Rotary and local food distributors. Perhaps most important of all is the feeling of safety. For the first time in possibly days, weeks or even months, our homeless brothers and sisters could leave their possessions in the care of others and rest. Stand Down is a place of miracles. Lives are changed and lives are saved. The founders of Stand Down had a dream. They made it a reality, one which continues to offer a true stand down for all homeless veterans. |