Stand Down under way at San Diego High School

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By Ki-Min Sung
UNION-TRIBUNE

July 16, 2005

The line started Tuesday outside San Diego High School.

With each passing day, more men, women and their children had queued up outside the campus. By yesterday morning, hundreds of them were on hand as the 18th annual Stand Down for Homeless Veterans began.

Organizers of the three-day event expect about 800 people to show up for free food, clothes, temporary shelter, basic medical services and counseling. That number would be a record high for Stand Down, which was established to help homeless veterans get off San Diego's streets.

Some military experts attribute the increase in the number of homeless veterans partly to troops leaving the forces after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The trend is expected to rise locally and nationwide in coming years.

In particular, more female military personnel are expected to become homeless.

At least 1.1 million U.S. troops have served in war zones since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's not unexpected that we would start to see homeless veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, but it seems a little soon," Dr. Jon Nachison, co-founder of Stand Down, said yesterday. "It's disheartening. The new veterans suggest to me there will be more of them, not only in Stand Down in San Diego but at Stand Downs across the country."

There are now more than 200 Stand Down events nationwide, all modeled after San Diego's.

Advocates for homeless veterans said they are trying their best to prepare for the expected swell, one that might be the largest since tens of thousands of Vietnam War troops fell on hard times and landed on the streets.

The advocates are asking for more donations from the public. They're forming coalitions to coordinate events such as Stand Down, which is widely praised as a prototype for how nonprofits can assist a beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs. And they're urging Congress and the Department of Defense to ensure that lifestyle counseling sessions are offered to those leaving military service.

"If the veterans don't get the help initially, they lose their jobs, they lose their families and/or they enter into the criminal element or the drug element. It's imperative that they address their needs now," said William Rider, a Vietnam War veteran who volunteers at the La Jolla-based American Combat Veterans of War.

Nationwide, 500,000 veterans were homeless last year, according to Veterans Affairs.


Homeless veterans

23 percent of the nation's homeless are veterans.
47 percent of homeless vets served during the Vietnam War.
67 percent of homeless vets stayed in the military for at least three years.
33 percent of homeless vets were stationed in a war zone.
76 percent of homeless vets have experienced alcohol, drug or mental health problems.
Source: National Coalition for Homeless Veterans


Some of these men and women became homeless because of problems that stemmed from such factors as divorce, loss of income and physical disabilities.

However, Nachison said, military culture creates an alternate reality that may put service members at greater risk for homelessness.

During their service, the troops follow strict orders and have clearly defined jobs. Once discharged, they may find civilian life to be chaotic or directionless, he said.

Additionally, veterans' pride might prevent them from seeking help, and they turn instead to substance abuse to escape unresolved issues, Nachison said.

Congress is considering legislation to tackle alcoholism and drug problems by requiring the Department of Defense to screen for substance abuse among those leaving the service.

Steve Rosado, 32, said he wished he had been offered such assistance.

Last month, Rosado was homeless, pushing a shopping cart filled with his belongings in El Cajon. He had been discharged from the Navy in April 2003 after serving in Afghanistan. He battled alcohol and methamphetamine addictions, which he said carried over from his active-duty days.

Rosado said the military helped him find structure and discipline. But once he left the Navy, life began to unravel. Readjusting to the civilian world was difficult professionally and emotionally, he said.

"It was hard to get back into the rhythm of what people were doing," he said. "It seemed like I was outdated."

After becoming homeless, Rosado broke an ankle during a street fight over the shopping cart he was using. After feeling suicidal and paranoid, Rosado said, he decided to seek a lifeline. He entered a substance-abuse shelter in San Diego about three weeks ago. The shelter's staff encouraged him to seek counseling at Stand Down yesterday.

The armed forces offer employment, housing and other services for service members leaving the military through the Transition Assistance Program. But these benefits, along with counseling and other orientation sessions, are optional for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Only in the Marine Corps are the programs mandatory.

"We try to give them all the tools and educate them on the things that are available to them," said Bryan Driver, a Marine Corps spokesman. "One of the pillars of our program is to provide alternate programs to service members that lead to a healthy lifestyle and build better citizens."

On Capitol Hill, Congress is looking at adopting stronger preventive measures by making the Transition Assistance Program compulsory for all military branches. Such legislation would require service members to receive information about veterans' benefits, employment opportunities, housing options, personal finance and other aspects of day-to-day living before they are discharged.

Back at San Diego High School, spirits were bittersweet for Stand Down's estimated 2,500 volunteers and the hundreds of veterans they aided. People in the crowd, standing amid military-style tents housing cots, hugged and exchanged stories about their time in the military and on the streets.

At least during this three-day event, they could work on the shared goal of wiping out homelessness for veterans.

"I don't want to see them 15 years from now at Stand Down," said organizer Al Pavich, president of Veterans Village of San Diego.