Housing help, employers among veteran resources available following annual parade. Here are the details

Baylee DeMuth, Erie Times-News
·6 min read

Veteran resources and services are spread throughout Erie County, but for one Saturday afternoon, many of them will be found in the same, convenient place for veterans.

Following Erie's annual Veterans Day parade, the area's first Stand Down event, a national initiative that provides supplies and services to primarily homeless veterans, will be held in Erie.

Erie Veterans Day parade

As of Oct. 28, 35 groups were registered to walk in the parade, said Briana Cummings, public affairs specialist for the VAMC. Parade-goers can expect to see Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy Army ROTC students, local American Red Cross members, the Erie Vet Center, Disabled American Veterans vans and more represented in the parade. The parade, hosted by the VAMC, is expected to last 30 to 45 minutes.

Erie High School and Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy Army Junior ROTC students march in the Veterans Day parade on Nov. 6, 2021, in Erie. The 30-minute parade traveled south from Veterans Stadium 12 blocks to 38th Street, then east to the Veterans Administration hospital.
Erie High School and Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy Army Junior ROTC students march in the Veterans Day parade on Nov. 6, 2021, in Erie. The 30-minute parade traveled south from Veterans Stadium 12 blocks to 38th Street, then east to the Veterans Administration hospital.

"What we really want is to encourage the community to come out and line the streets to support the veterans, because that’s obviously really important to us," Cummings said. "A lot of times the weather isn’t the greatest, but keep in mind the sacrifices these individuals have made."

Parade participants do not need to be veterans or a veteran-related organization, Cummings said. Those interested in walking in the parade can register by contacting Barb Hudak at 207-217-1308 or Voluntary Services at 814-860-2454.

Stand Down a 'one-stop-shop' for veterans

In Erie County, there are roughly 18,000 veterans, Cummings said.

Erie's first Stand Down event, hosted by the Veterans Leadership Program, aims to help at least some of those people, said Stephen Cracker, veteran career advisor for the Veterans Leadership Program.

Veterans Leadership Program:New-to-Erie nonprofit will offer housing and career services, other supports for veterans

It will take place Saturday at the Masonic Temple of Erie, 32 W. Eighth St., on the second floor in the building's grand ballroom. The event is expected to run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"We have providers come together ... some local employers who will be coming and just getting together so it can be a one-stop-shop for veterans so they can see what organizations are out there to help," Cracker said.

Stand Down events take place across the country. They are typically one to three-day events during which homeless and at-risk veterans receive food, clothing and health screenings. Veterans also receive referrals for health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment, mental health counseling and other essential services, according to the United State Department of Veterans Affairs.

To Stacy Farrell, a volunteer specialist for VAMC and a U.S. Navy veteran, the Stand Down event represents efforts she sees every day at the Medical Center that aid the veteran community.

"It’s just a great opportunity because any resource that can help veterans out in the community or here at the hospital I think is just an amazing thing," Farrell, 51, said. "The generosity of the community is overwhelming at times and it’s fabulous to witness."

Farrell sees her primary care provider through the VAMC, a service she said is convenient to her as a veteran.

"I’ve had a very good experience since I’ve moved back home here to Erie since active duty (1989-1991)," she said. "The doctors here are very knowledgeable, they take care of you and listen to you."

Farrell said VAMC's presence at the Stand Down is further proof that Erie County veterans are supported by the community.

"It’s just mind-blowing to see what people do for our veterans here in Erie," she said. "It’s so touching and so rewarding as well."

Cracker and his team have nearly 40 organizations to set up displays at the event. They include Pennsylvania CareerLink, VAMC, Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home and the Erie Vet Center. In addition, Harvest912 ― a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides accessible, no-cost foot care ― will be at the event conducting free podiatry exams.

"Harvest 912 is going to do 30 podiatry exams within that 4-hour period and whoever does get one is walking out with a backpack with supplies in it, and it’s all free to the veterans," Cracker said. "We’re also working on getting flu shots and COVID vaccinations there, Sport Clips to get people to give free haircuts. We’re just trying to find our first folks that come in and hopefully we can get them next year and just continue to keep growing."

Near the end of the event, there will also be a clothing giveaway for veterans, Cracker said.

"We work with the VA and they get some stuff from surplus, basically cold weather gear, sleeping bags," he said. "That surplus stuff is for the veterans who are homeless, but it’s open to all veterans."

In addition, Veterans Leadership Program staff plan to hand out one-day bus passes prior to the event at the parade to veterans who might not have a vehicle to get them to the Stand Down. Staff will be at the Veterans Memorial Stadium and VAMC handing out passes. Cracker said he has about 100 passes and they will be first come first serve.

Partial list of veteran resources

  • Veteran Crisis Hotline: 988, select 1

  • Erie VA Medical Center, 135 E. 38th St., 814-868-8661: Provides comprehensive primary medical, surgical, dental and behavioral health services to eligible veterans in the tri-state area of NW PA, NE Ohio, Western New York.

  • Erie County Department of Veterans Affairs, 140 W. Sixth St. Room 111, 814-451-6265: Assists veterans and their families in securing the benefits and services they are entitled under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and federal laws and regulations.

  • Veterans Leadership Program, 406 W. Eighth St., 412 481-8200: Provides wellness and support services in addition to housing and career services. The nonprofit also distributes food and other necessities to veterans.

  • Erie Vet Center, 240 W. 11th St., 814-453-7955: Services include counseling for needs such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma (MST).

  • Veterans Miracle Center Erie, 1573 W. 39th St., 814-440-8463: Provides clothing, personal care and hygiene products, houseware items and more to veterans and active-duty military personnel.

  • Housing And Neighborhood Development Service (HANDS), 7 E. Seventh St., 814-453-3333: Provides housing opportunities to low-income families, seniors, persons with special needs and veterans.

  • EUMA Liberty House, 550 W. Seventh St, 814-874-3687: A 10-bed transitional shelter and program for homeless veteran men. Open house on Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. at the Liberty House.

If you go

  • What: Erie Veterans Day Parade

  • When: Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

  • Where: Starts at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium, corner of 26th and State streets, ends at Erie VAMC, 135 E. 38th St.

  • What: Stand Down

  • When: Saturday at 11 a.m.

  • Where: Masonic Temple of Erie, 32 W. Eighth St., on the second floor in the building's grand ballroom

Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or bdemuth@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @BayleeDeMuth.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: After annual parade, new Stand Down event to benefit Erie veterans