Army veteran Mark Guthrie gets his blood pressure taken at the annual Stand Down on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The Stand Down is a nationwide event that aids homeless veterans. with the essentials and resources they need. This year's event was held for the first time at Weidner Field.
Homeless veterans flowed into Weidner Field downtown Tuesday morning with uniformed troops by their side as they navigated an array of services, such as haircuts, help with housing and cold-weather gear.
An estimated 300 homeless veterans live in Colorado Springs and the Annual Stand Down event aimed to help ensure they have life-saving gear and services.
While an annual Point in Time count shows fewer homeless veterans are living in Colorado Springs, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, the organizer of the annual Stand Down event, has seen needs for help in the community rise.
Mt. Carmel Director of Operations Paul Price said the nonprofit has seen a greater need for help with housing, food and employment services. The event organizers hope to supply veterans with gear such as sleeping bags, socks and boots ahead of winter.
Even on Tuesday, the morning air was brisk.
"It's getting colder and I am getting more and more worried," said Army and Air Force veteran Debra Trujillo, 64. She is waiting for an inspection before moving into a home in Pueblo West and, in the meantime, she has been staying with friends and family.
During the event, Mt. Carmel employees also expected to select 10 veterans for 30-day transitional housing and services to help them find homes, employment and apply for benefits. The program also provides a case manager for a year.
"It's not about pancakes and burritos; it's about long-term enduring life change," Price said.
The Transitional Housing Initiative was started in partnership with UCHealth and eight of the nine veterans selected last year are still housed, according to a news release. UCHealth donated $30,000 to support the program in its second year.
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Damian McCabe, director of behavioral health-military affairs for UCHealth, said he's observed those who were hurting before the COVID-19 pandemic are suffering even more now and it's important to provide more than just emergency housing vouchers.
"If all we ever do is emergency services, we are just recycling people," he said.
Ending veterans homelessness is an ongoing priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs and it recently announced that across Denver, Colorado Springs and other eastern Colorado towns, it had housed 721 veterans.
Missy Mish, acting section chief for homeless programs in eastern Colorado, said dedicated apartments for veterans in affordable housing complexes have helped meet the needs locally, although she didn't have a number for how many have been housed in town.
The VA has also been working with local service groups to collect data on veterans so they can follow up with individual veterans in need of help. Building trust with certain people can take numerous conversations, she said.
Navy veteran Aaron Merritt was homeless for 11 years in Colorado Springs before he got into an apartment last Monday with his dog, Stewie. The turning point for him was getting sober, including some time in jail, he said.
He expected all the gear from the Stand Down would be a big help, because he has yet to furnish his new home and has been sleeping on the floor.
"I got what I am wearing, basically," he said.
Mt. Carmel helps meet ongoing needs too, gives away food at 11 a.m. on the first and third Fridays each month near its building at 530 Communication Circle.