JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
More than 2,068 homeless people, both veterans and civilians, received aid from local volunteers at the 11th annual Stand Down Against Homelessness, Oct. 28 and 29, at the North Charleston Armory Park.
More than 300 volunteers from the local community and members of the local military helped support the effort.
Sponsored by the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Goodwill Industries, the event provided food, clothing vouchers, medical and dental screenings, job and legal assistance, and personal hygiene items to the homeless. A hot breakfast with coffee was provided to all the homeless participants, and flu shots were also administered by volunteers from the VA.
"I think it's a wonderful thing, not only helping our fellow veterans, but also helping those who just live in the community and have fallen on hard times," said Henry Young, an Air Force veteran and volunteer.
Blankets and clothes were distributed and the homeless were assigned personal "shoppers" who helped them find the right size clothes that had been donated by Goodwill Industries for the event. In addition to the blankets and clothes, haircuts were given to those in need.
"It feels good getting a free haircut," said Richard Krempusch, a local man who participated in the event. "I've paid 16 bucks I didn't have for a haircut with money that I needed to spend for a job interview."
Helping the homeless acquire stable work is one of the primary goals of the event. Volunteers work with the VA to find out if a homeless person is a veteran, and they immediately escort them to the VA tent where the process of getting them the help they need begins; primarily a place to live, the health care they need and job resources.
"It's rewarding when you help people get back on their feet and they find a job," said Tonya Lobbestael, Ralph H. Johnson VAMC public affairs officer and co-chairman of the planning committee for the stand down.
Ms. Lobbestael said she has seen homeless participants become volunteers themselves after receiving help from previous stand downs.
"We couldn't pull this off without the help of the military," said Ms. Lobbestael. "The volunteers came from the Weapons Station, the Brig, SPAWAR, the Air Base, and the Coast Guard. It makes a big difference especially to the homeless veterans ... You can see them stand a little taller and regain some of that pride they had when they served just by seeing these young, clean-cut service members in uniform out there helping them."
Although the goal of the event is simple, helping homeless veterans get off the street is still an uphill battle, said Ms. Lobbestael.
"We had 390 less homeless participate than last year. That by itself is encouraging but there is still a significant need in the community," she said. "The hardest part is seeing how many people are out there that need help."
For one local veteran and volunteer, participating in the event made that need quite clear.
"It really opened my eyes when I saw how many homeless families with kids are in my community," said Air Force Master Sgt. Anthony Mullins, assigned to Detachment 3, Naval Consolidated Brig, Joint Base Charleston-Weapons Station.
"With all the volunteer work I have done in my career, helping the homeless has really had the most impact on me."