Salisbury VA to hold Homeless Veteran Stand Down May 15

Published 9:08 am Monday, May 11, 2015

The Salisbury VA Medical Center is presenting its second annual Homeless Veteran Stand Down May 15 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Registration for veterans will take place in the Building 6 gymnasium and services will be provided in several locations on campus.

The stand down will provide homeless veterans an opportunity to spend the day receiving care and information about housing assistance, community resources, meals, dental services, medical care, social activities, personal hygiene care, clothing and applying for veteran benefits. More than 30 community agencies that support the homeless will be available to provide a variety of services.

All veterans are invited to attend the stand down, but only those who are identified as homeless, or are in need, will receive Department of Defense military surplus items. DoD surplus includes boots, pants, shirts, sleeping bags, duffle bags and other items.

Jennifer Herb, director of the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program, said the stand down will provide services to the homeless veteran population in the local area who may not have been able to travel to other stand downs.

“I think the biggest take away from stand downs is the comradery. We want our homeless veterans to be able to walk away from a stand down feeling they are important, we care about them,” Herb said. “We want to make sure they are getting the services they deserve and have a clear understanding that we want to help them with whatever homeless or other situation they’re struggling with.”

Herb added, the stand down can also benefit VA employees by providing them with knowledge.

“It will also be an opportunity for VA employees here to empower themselves by learning more about the services that are useful for homeless veterans so that they can refer them during day-to-day contact during appointments,” she said.

The Salisbury VA Medical Center homeless veterans program is located in Building 11 and provides services from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Homeless veterans can be referred to the program whether they are enrolled in VA healthcare or not, and they will see a homeless outreach social worker. Any veteran who is homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, can call (877) 424-3838 or (877) 4AID-VET for help.

For more information about the Salisbury VA Medical Center, visit http://www.salisbury.va.gov/.