Santa Clara County is hunting for a larger space for its Office of Veterans Services, Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee told San Jose Spotlight at the county's fourth annual Stand Down, a two-day resource fair for veterans. The nonprofit newsroom published its account on Veterans Day.
"We're looking for a new space for (the Office of Veteran Services) to expand, because serving 60,000 veterans is no small thing," Lee, a Navy veteran, told San Jose Spotlight. He also said it is unacceptable that veterans make up 3.5% of the county's homeless population, according to the report.
The Stand Down ran Nov. 5 and 6 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Veterans and their families could get housing information, help with jobs and legal problems, medical and dental screenings, mental health support, clothing, food and haircuts. A claims clinic worked to speed up veterans' access to benefits.
Darlyn Escalante, who directs the county's veterans office, told San Jose Spotlight that more than 100 organizations took part. She said the event is meant to link veterans with people and resources so they know they are not alone, and that homeless veterans who attend find housing and learn about benefits they did not know existed.
Daniel Little, director of the county Social Services Agency, told the outlet that many veterans become homeless or go hungry even though they qualify for help that could prevent it, because red tape stands in the way.
The name comes from the military term for a pause to rest and recover. Stand Downs for veterans began after the Vietnam War.