Operation Stand Down: A One-Stop-Shop For the Homeless
A lot of local folks who need help will get it tomorrow -- during Operation Stand Down. VA Homeless Program Manager Carolyn Green tells KEEL News it's a one-stop-shop for the homeless. They'll get a hot meal, clothing, health care exams...even help finding housing and employment. "We do have Louisiana Workforce here with computers to sign people up and help them to navigate that system...so they can look and see what jobs are out there," Green says.
The event is co-hosted by HOPE for the Homeless and Overton Brooks VA Medical Center. The two have partnered for this annual event for 16 of the 19 years it's been in existence.
Green says an average of 500 people have turned out each year. The largest number she's seen was a couple of years ago -- at over 800. What's more surprising is that between 30- and 35-percent of them are military Veterans. There are also quite a few who are disabled.
This event is for singles and individuals -- adults, children and whole families -- Veterans and non-Veterans. The Healthcare and Services Fair runs from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. tomorrow at First United Methodist Church on Common Street. That's at the head of Texas Street in downtown Shreveport.