Photo collage of photos taken during the Corpus Christi Stand Down, which took place November 2, 2018, in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas. (Photos by Carrie Myers and Jennifer Suarez used in creation of this VA photo collage by Luis H. Loza Gutierrez)

VCB helps homeless Veterans at Corpus Christi Stand Down

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The Corpus Christi Stand Down, took place on November 2, 2018, in downtown Corpus Christi, and for the third year in a row members of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and several community organizations were once again there to lend a hand to Veterans in need of a helping hand.

"Events like the Stand Down serve as a testament of the caring spirit of the Corpus Christi community," said Carrie Myers, Homeless Veterans Program manager for VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VCB). "All these different organizations and people would not be here today if that wasn't so. We all play a role in helping our Homeless Veterans get a hand up, not a hand out."

Myers was one of more than a dozen representatives from the VA to take part in the outreach event designed to help homeless Veterans.

VA suicide prevention coordinator, Nicole Theriot, smiles for a photo during the Corpus Christi Stand Down, which took place November 2, 2018, in downtown Corpus Christi. The licensed clinical social worker was one of several VA staff members that took part in the event designed to provide assistance to homeless Veterans. (Photo by Carrie Myers)

Approximately 200 people attended the three-hour long event. Twenty-seven out of the approximately 70 Veterans who registered were categorized as homeless Veterans.

According to Myers, the Stand Down provided a great opportunity for the 27 homeless Veterans to be screened by the VA Homeless Veterans Program team.

In addition to warm a plate of food, these Veterans were then connected with resources to assist them with obtaining housing, medical care, haircuts, employment, VA benefits, substance abuse services, mental health services, temporary shelter placements, and Veteran peer assistance.

VA Homeless Program Team members Melinda Rosson, Alison Horton, Doris Alvarez, Rosa Balderas, Andrea Middagh, Chris King, Kim Orona, Lynne Hall, Jenesis Shaw, and Carrie Myers pose for a group photo during the Corpus Christi Stand Down, which took place November 2, 2018, in downtown Corpus Christi. The group was one of several organizations that took part in the event designed to provide assistance to homeless Veterans. (Photo by Jennifer Suarez)

The VA offers a wide array of special programs and initiatives specifically designed to help homeless Veterans live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible.

In fact, the VA is the only U.S. federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless persons.

Although limited to Veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless-specific programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless treatment and assistance services in the country.

For all information about programs and services for homeless Veterans, please go to http://www.va.gov/homeless/ and utilize the links to specific information.

The Corpus Christi Stand Down was hosted by the Texas Veterans Commission in partnership with the Nueces County Veterans Services Department and the VA. Organizations and individuals interested in taking part in the next Stand Down for homeless Veterans can contact the fore mentioned agencies for more information by clicking on the hyperlinks provided above.

Members of the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) and staff members from VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System pose for a group photo during the Corpus Christi Stand Down, which took place November 2, 2018, in downtown Corpus Christi. CCPD worked to identify Veterans experiencing homelessness and connect them with VA services.(Photo courtesy of Jennifer Suarez)