The camera pans to a large American flag flapping in the pre-dawn wind. Next it zooms in on the golden-orange sun rising over a camp of several dozen military-grade tents. Veterans of every age, every ethnicity, and every war are waiting in line to receive food, clothes, and some much-needed services. Some men are getting their hair cut by volunteer hairdressers; another is getting his teeth cleaned by a local dentist. A patriotic banner in the background reads, “A hand up, not a hand out.”
The Youtube video described above is of a 2009 Stand Down event in San Diego. Started in 1988, Stand Down is designed to provide comprehensive services to homeless veterans in cities across the nation. At these events, veterans are given everyday essentials such as food and clothes, but are also given access to free legal, medical, and housing services.
Founders Robert Van Keuren and Jon Nachison based their efforts on a military saying, “You don’t leave anybody outside the wire. If you’ve got wounded outside the wire, you go get them, regardless of the cost.”
On Oct. 13, 2012, Stand Down will come to the Santa Maria Fairpark. Santa Barbara County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino (5th District) is currently forming a steering committee with people from 35 different businesses and organizations to make the event a reality.
After learning about the San Diego event on 60 Minutes, Lavagnino said he “kind of sprung the idea” on his staff and asked them, “What do you think about doing something like this here in Santa Maria?”
“They said, ‘It sounds like a monumental feat, but let’s do it,’” he told the Sun. “From there, it just started to steamroll. Santa Maria is the kind of place where you’re never going to have a lack of volunteers or a lack of people willing to put money behind [a cause].”
Lavagnino said he’d like to eventually have a three-day Stand Down in Santa Maria, but the committee is starting with a one-day event for now.
According to a countywide survey, there are approximately 200 homeless veterans living in cities from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara—and those are just the veterans who participated in the survey.
At Stand Down Santa Maria, there will be a courtroom led by Superior Court Judge Rogelio Flores to handle possible vagrancy and trespassing citations. Social Services employees will be on-hand to make sure homeless veterans are receiving benefits, such as food stamps and housing vouchers, as well as treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues. And the steering committee is currently looking for dentists willing to do free check-ups. They’re also organizing transportation to and from the event, hoping to draw people from Lompoc and elsewhere.
“And because it’s always easier to listen and focus when your stomach’s not grumbling, we’re going to start with breakfast and end with a big barbecue,” Lavagnino said. “The goal is to make sure veterans know we care about them.”
There will also be a shower station and a kids’ zone for the veterans’ children.
“There’s a lot younger face on today’s homeless veteran because guys are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and there are women, too,” Lavagnino said.
Henry Alfaro is one of the more than 50 men from Guadalupe who served in Vietnam. Although he has a home to go to every night, he still feels the repercussions of serving his country and wants to help others. He said a lot of veterans never talked about serving in Vietnam because it was an unfavorable war and a taboo subject at home.
“But about eight years ago, when the Iraq War started, all of the memories started to come back,” Alfaro said. “I went to [Veterans Affairs] seeking help for flashbacks. I couldn’t sleep because I was having nightmares.”
It turned out he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. With his diagnosis officially documented, Alfaro was able to get the benefits and medical attention he deserved.
“After that I started taking guys [from all different wars] under my wing and helping them fill out the paperwork and claims,” he said. “A lot of vets out there don’t know about the benefits, they have no clue of what they’re entitled to. It doesn’t matter if you were in combat or not.”
He also founded a Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Guadalupe. Today, the chapter has more than 600 members, including veterans, their spouses, children, and other family members.
“It’s therapy to everyone,” he explained, adding that he’s happy to see people reaching out to veterans through a community-supported event.
Supervisor Lavagnino said he admires people like Alfaro who make it their life’s mission to help veterans and other homeless people.
“I wish we could do [Stand Down] 365 days a year, but we can’t,” Lavagnino said. “This is for veterans who are down on their luck. Hopefully getting cleaned up, getting an ID card, getting all his legal stuff taken care of, and the rights he deserves will ensure that that veteran’s not going to be back next year for Stand Down 2013.
“Who knows? Through this event, he might be able to get a job and get out of the cycle of being homeless,” he said. “I know this isn’t going to be a panacea … but it’s [a start].”
Contact Managing Editor Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 10-17, 2011.