Annual Stand Down for homeless ex-military in Colorado Springs set for Tuesday

Oct. 17—The number of military veterans who are homeless in the Colorado Springs area swelled by 150 people in the first eight months of this year — a large increase, says Brian Wess, chairman of the El Paso County Homeless Veterans Coalition.

That brings the total to 459 veterans who are homeless as of Monday, according to tracking by the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care, an agency that helps communities plan for and provide housing and other emergency assistance to the homeless population.

Blame the economy, Wess says.

"People who are living on the margin anyway — who struggle to maintain their life situation — it doesn't take much to throw them into a situation where they are homeless," he said.

"Even those of us who may not be in that kind of month-to-month situation have experienced extreme difficulty this year."

To help veterans who think they'll spend the winter living on the streets, the coalition will host the 24th Annual Stand Down for Homeless Veterans on Tuesday at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St. Doors open at 9 a.m. and close at 3 p.m.

Representatives from about 70 local organizations will offer a host of free services in one warm place, from haircuts and a hot Salvation Army meal to flu shots, boots and heavy jackets, veterinary care for service animals and the opportunity to join the coalition's housing program.

"The event not only is designed to connect homeless veterans with services that will assist them to get through the winter, but also to help them get out of the situation they're in," said Wess, who's also a member of American Legion Post 209.

This is the first time for the Stand Down to be held at the City Auditorium since 2019, due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

"It's huge for us to be back in there because we can do way more than we could in the parking lot," said Mark Smith, a board member of El Paso County Homeless Veterans Coalition.

Organizers held the 2020 and 2021 Stand Down giveaways in a downtown parking lot and saw a marked decrease in attendance, Smith said.

About 200 veterans showed up in 2019, Wess said, and he expects the crowd to resurge on Tuesday, since nighttime temperatures have fallen in recent weeks.

Participants are confirmed as having military service through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs registration. If veterans are not registered with the VA, they can do so at the event. They also must be homeless to take part.

"We don't force them to accept any services," Wess said. "If they're living under a bridge, in a car or in a homeless camp, we want to make sure they don't freeze in one of our cold spells."

The coalition's temporary housing initiative for veterans helps singles or families who became homeless due to a sudden unexpected loss of job, or medical bills or other unforeseen circumstance but are doing "everything they can to get themselves out of homelessness," he said.

They stay for free in motel units for a month while being connected with housing, employment, budget training and cooking skills to help improve their lives.

People are vetted through a scrupulous process to determine if they qualify and asked if they want to join, if they're suited for the initiative, Wess said.

Rules of conduct include that participants are not allowed to use substances while in the program, he said.

Wess places the success rate at 90%, which he calls "phenomenal."

The Stand Down and the housing initiative costs the coalition about $50,000, he said.

Mental health and treatment is a new focus at the Stand Down because many veterans who become homeless face post-traumatic stress disorder or other conditions related to military service and don't seek help, go untreated or have their disabilities "ignored by the VA," Wess added.

The assistance is meaningful to both participants and those who volunteer with the coalition because it's veterans helping veterans, Wess said.

Homeless veterans say they appreciate bringing together all the community's resource options in one location, organizers said.

"A lot of it is they don't know there are resources out there to help them," Smith said. "The Stand Down is important just for the fact that it's giving back to the veterans, to the guys and gals that gave everything to us," he said.

"It's not a hand out, it's a hand up."