In times of war, exhausted combat units requiring time to rest and recover were removed from the battlefields to a place of relative security and safety. At these secured areas, troops were able to take care of personal hygiene, get clean uniforms, enjoy warm meals, receive medical and dental care, mail and receive letters and enjoy the camaraderie of friends in a safe environment.
Today, Stand Down refers to a grass roots community based intervention program designed to help the nation’s homeless Veterans. These Veterans are brought together in a single location for 1 to 3 days and are provided access to the community resources needed to begin addressing their individual problems and rebuilding their lives.
Many homeless Veterans have suffered years or chronic or recurring readjustment issues since ending their military service. This is due in part to a lack of structured and effective collaboration among agencies. This has forced Veterans to go from one agency to another in efforts to access the various resources they need. This lack of efficient support from traditional Veteran services has led to homeless Veterans mistrust of the very government agencies and large institutions created to help them.
A group of dedicated social service organizations across DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties are proud to announce the second annual Homeless Stand Down for our Quad County community on July 13 at the DuPage County fairgrounds.
How can you help? We are looking for donations of clothing. The following items are needed:
- New socks and underwear
- New or gently used sweat pants, jeans and polo shirts
- Windbreakers
- New or gently used sneakers and shoes
At this Stand Down we are not looking for any women’s clothing, suits, and sport coats.
These items may be dropped off at the Naperville Township office at 139 Water Street or Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 at 908 West Jackson Street from June 27 to July 11.
It is easy to think that homeless Veterans are confined to Chicago. However in 2014 more than 200 Veterans from the Quad County area received housing assistance from the VA and an additional 140 Veterans remain unsheltered.
No one in our country should be homeless, especially a Veteran!
