Volunteers of America of North Louisiana is co-hosting Operation Stand Down this week. This will be the second year in a row the event is being held specifically to benefit our local homeless veterans.

Medical and mental health professionals and housing providers will all be part of the event. Services available that day will include medical care, benefits assistance, housing providers, job placement, legal aid, and others. The goal is to eliminate homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015.

"Our goal this year is actually to offer housing on the spot," VOA Director of Veterans Services Gary Jaynes told KEEL News. "For some of these homeless, if we've got spaces available, we're going to offer them that spot right there that day."

One of VOA's newest programs is called Safe Haven, a low-impact, low-barrier shelter. Jaynes says if it works exactly like it's supposed to, the organization should be able to place homeless veterans right away.

"We're expanding it from nine male beds to 23 male beds, and we also have three female beds," Jaynes said. "We admit people without the precondition of 'you have to be sober, you have to have an income, you have to be going to meetings.' If they have a drug or alcohol problem, we want to get them housed first, and then we want to slowly encourage them to get the help they need."

Operation Stand Down runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at HOPE Connections at 2350 Levy St. in Shrveport. Jaynes said veterans will be fed breakfast and lunch, and there will be plenty of hot coffee available.

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