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| The 2018 Veterans Stand Down takes place October 20. |
The 2018 Santa Barbara County Veterans Stand Down is coming October 20! Over 100 organizations from all over the county, including DSS, come together to serve veterans (homeless or not) at this free annual one-day event. Veterans can get a hot meal, warm clothes, on-the-spot services from health screenings to haircuts; and referrals for help with food, shelter, jobs, counseling and more. There’s no charge to attend, but pre-registration is required. Free shuttle buses to the event and back will be available from locations all over the county.
Please read on for details on Stand Down, flyer/applications to give to your clients who are veterans, and more ways to get involved!
When and Where:
Santa Barbara County Veterans Stand Down 2018 is happening Saturday, October 20th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Santa Maria Fairpark.
Tell your clients!
DSS plays a crucial role in publicizing Veterans Stand Down, since many veterans use DSS services. Please feel free to print, post, and share this flyer/application for Stand Down with your clients who are veterans of the U.S. military. As the event draws nearer, every public DSS lobby will also display Stand Down posters and offer the flyer/applications.
DSS will once again have a presence, with select staff offering information about DSS programs, receiving applications for DSS programs, or distributing items to veterans.
If you wish to promote Stand Down on your personal social media account, it's easy to do. Just type or paste a message like this: “Veterans Stand Down is a one-stop event for vets countywide to get the help they need. Flyer and registration form: http://bit.ly/StandDown2018”. If you'd like to post a photo to go with it, you can download the photo from the flyer here.
Donation Drive
Everyone at DSS can also play a role by dropping off clothing or toiletries for veterans in a donation bin right here at DSS during our upcoming Donation Drive. More information on the Donation Drive will follow (by email and Intercom) as it draws nearer.
A community tradition
This is the seventh year for the local Veterans Stand Down event, established with the leadership of Santa Barbara County Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino. “Stand Down is a great opportunity to display our commitment to our local veterans,” Lavagnino observed, “and a great way for veterans to jump-start their lives after returning home.” Armed with new clothes and boots, a haircut, and community services, homeless veterans can leave Stand Down in a better position to secure paid work and attain self-sufficiency. That’s one reason DSS leaders have worked behind the scenes to make Stand Down happen every year.
What’s offered:
Stand Down offers services for all veterans (men and women, homeless or not) including:
- Free hot meals
- Live entertainment, including a kids’ zone
- Health, dental, vision, and behavioral health screenings and referrals
- Showers, haircuts, clothes, shoes, care packages, gift cards, mending
- Pet services, including checkups, grooming and microchipping
- Public and private agencies offering consultations, services or referrals
- Employers and job seeker services
- Women’s services including health screenings, hairstyling and massage
- Free shuttle buses to the event and back, from sites countywide
- Treatment court on-site to clear up minor infractions and misdemeanors
More information:
For more information, visit the Veterans Stand Down website. For a flavor of what Stand Down is like, check out the Stand Down 2017 Intercom article, video, photo gallery, and personal story.
IMPORTANT: Please distribute only our version of the flyer/application, not the application on the Stand Down website. Why? 1) Our version lets the client tear off and keep the part with all the event and shuttle info, and 2) ours is tagged as coming from DSS, and the registrar is tallying the number of applications that come from DSS.