Nashville Serves Homeless Veterans
at Operation Stand Down

Vets received great food from Associated Wholesale Grocers and others, like Second Harvest Food Bank

HUD Volunteer Terry Livingston, provided rental and transitional housing information to Vets

In America there are several human resources Americans must never forget. We all know how important issues are when we think of children. Together we all know the value of the elderly, with all their wisdom. Do we support our American Veterans in this same frame of mind? Would it matter if they were homeless or not if they honorably served their country?

To answer that question, all one had to do was visit the Nashville Operation Stand Down for Veterans who are homeless or in transition on November 19 - 21, 2004. There, at the National Guard Armory, you would see who cares for them with "no strings attached." There you would see the endless numbers of volunteers serving meals, cleaning up, administering health, giving-out clothes, cutting hair, proving comradeship, compassion and respect. There you would see the dedication of hundreds of normal, everyday people who gave up a day or two to help Nashville's Veterans. "The Nashville Office of HUD was just one of many agencies that attended the Twelfth Annual Operation Stand Down-Nashville," said Nashville Office Coordinator, Terry Livingston.

Some 400 Veterans attended the three-day event to have the opportunity to "stand down" from their normal routine, whatever it might be. Local transportation provided a lift to the event for many of those attending. They received three hot meals, showers, haircuts, snacks, movies, all the fruit and coffee they wanted to drink, not to speak of the "on-the-spot services" and health checks they could get from the many agencies attending. Representatives from the Veteran's Administration, VA-affiliated hospitals, HUD, IRS, Social Security, Tennessee Veterans Administration, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce, Nashville Metro public agencies, as well as a score of non-profits, including the UAW Veterans, all gathered together to serve our Veterans. Agencies from as far away as Kentucky and from all over Middle Tennessee provided services, and military organizations from across the southeast supported the event.

"The local Operation Stand Down organization is a leader in Nashville that is pro-veteran," said William Dirl, Acting Nashville Field Office Director. "We support local homeless continuum partners and agencies every year to assist our Veterans." Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell attended the opening ceremonies, as did officials from the Veteran's Administration, Tennessee Military Department, Social Security Administration and the Tennessee State Guard, who hosted the event.

Some of the various services provided included legal assistance, tax assistance, health, vision and dental services, substance abuse assistance, voter registration, assistance for ex-offenders, employment and job training, housing, transitional housing and of course, veteran's benefit counseling. Thanks to everyone for another successful Stand Down.