Event offers help to homeless S.J. veterans

By Zachary K. Johnson
January 31, 2009
Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON - Dark green tents anchored to the earth with baseball-bat sized wooden pegs sheltered volunteers and workers waiting Friday to connect local veterans to the services and benefits available to keep servicemen and women healthy and off the streets.

Throughout the day, about 150 veterans lined up at the tables. The tools there to improve their lives ranged from sturdy backpacks filled with personal hygiene accoutrements to agencies guiding them into dental, medical and other services for veterans.

This second San Joaquin County Homeless Veteran Stand Down reached about the same number of veterans as it did in 2007, and organizers said they want to continue the event every two years. Like other Stand Down gatherings, the Stockton event groups together agencies and organizations that can help veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

"This is merely the door to a lot of services today to help them get out of the cycle of homelessness," said county Superior Court Judge Barbara Kronlund, who helped put on both Stand Downs.

For some of the veterans coming through, it was the first time they had been in contact with the county Veterans Services Office, a step toward receiving benefits or enrolling in the veterans health care system.

"When the dust settles, we expect to have 40 or 50 enrollments," said Veterans Services Officer Ron Green.

The Stand Down took place at the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless and St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Hall. This year, the Stand Down was held as the county was counting its homeless population. This meant there were clusters of services available to all homeless - veterans or not - and a separate section under the tents for services and donations for veterans.

Eric Herechski enrolled in a VA rehabilitation program in November that is helping him get back on his feet. The 46-year-old Air Force veteran had been homeless in Stockton and Lodi for about a year before signing up with the residential treatment program. "I want to become a productive member of society again, and they're helping me do that," he said.

He said part of that process means addressing accumulated legal problems at the homeless court, scheduled to be held after the Stand Down.

Veterans arriving at the Stand Down were escorted through services with volunteers, often veterans themselves.

But some, like Debbie Lipinski of Manteca, were not veterans. It was the first time she'd done volunteer work outside of her children's schools.

She said she guided her charge as he had his blood tested, hair cut and vision measured. When he was reluctant about getting an injection, she took a tetanus shot right alongside him, she said.

It felt good to help a veteran, she said.

San Joaquin County put up $10,000 for the Stand Down. Volunteers and donations helped keep costs down, which is important to keeping the event coming back in future years, organizer Scott Tyrrell said.

Stand Down participant Graig McCarl is not homeless, but services available to veterans help him keep it that way, he said. The 30-year-old was in the Marines from 1999 to 2003 and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Faces of volunteers and other veterans at the Stand Down weren't necessarily familiar, he said, but they were always friendly.

It's good to talk to people who have had similar experiences, and it was nice to see the range of services on display for those who need them, he said.

"This is outstanding for veterans."

Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com.

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