12:01pm | Long Beach is playing host to the the state’s first ever stand down for homeless female veterans at Rainbow Lagoon Park today.
During the Vietnam War, physically and mentally exhausted combative units retreating from the battlefield may have found themselves at one of a handful of secure base camps, where they could see to it that their personal needs did not fall by the wayside.
At these camps, they were free to “stand down,” or relieve their minds of the war at hand and instead focus their attention on their personal hygiene, communications with family back home, receiving medical and dental care and enjoying prepared warm meals. In this safe, relaxed environment, they were able to provide companionship for one another and form bonds that exceeded the battlefield.
Today, a stand down is a grassroots venture that targets homeless veterans. Rather than involving time off from the battlefield to renew one’s spirit, these events provide homeless veterans with a much needed respite from life on the streets.
With approximately 105,000 homeless veterans on America’s streets on any given day, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans hopes to relieve some of the stressors associated with this type of hard living for veterans and their families.
Today’s event is specifically catering to female veterans in part based upon a federal study released earlier this year on veteran homelessness. The study revealed that veterans are 50 percent more likely to become homeless than other Americans and that “female veterans are twice as likely to be in the homeless population as they are to be the U.S. adult female population.”
What’s more, the female veteran experience is unique to that of their male counterparts, and for too many this involves recovering from the shame of military sexual trauma. Todays’ stand down is tailored to meet female vets’ needs with this in mind.
From 8 a.m until 3:30 p.m. today, Friday, July 15, homeless female veterans and their families attending the stand down are receiving a number of complimentary services and other assistance, including:
- Medical and mental health care
- Legal consultation
- Financial/credit repair services
- Employment services
- On-site childcare
- Food
- Clothing and supplies
- Veterans Assistance and other benefit services
The event is being sponsored by U.S. Vets, the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor and Women Veterans of America.
The lack of structure and collaboration among many agencies means that for much of the year, homeless veterans must jump from location to location to achieve access to the very resources needed to stabilize themselves and their families.
The alliance formed by the exhibitors at organized stand downs such as the one in Long Beach today aims to create an all inclusive environment, with assurance to America’s veterans that multiple problems can be addressed at one time and place, encouraging them to overcome any feelings of isolation and helplessness in an organized effort to help get them back on their feet.