On Monday, Nov. 14, the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency hosted its third annual Úquot;Homeless Veterans Stand DownÚquot; at the New York Guard Armory in Freeport.

Over 200 local volunteers from more than 30 veterans' organizations, including the Marines from the 1st Marine District in Garden City, assisted 135 homeless veterans. The participating veterans also received assistance from over 25 government and private agencies, including the Nassau County Department of Veterans Services, the Department of Social Services, the Salvation Army, New York State Division of Veterans Affairs and the Red Cross.

Many Nassau County residents donated clothes and other much-needed supplies to the Stand Down, and the veterans were able to get showers, haircuts, medical screening and enrollment in the VA Health Care system. In addition to receiving job-search assistance and housing and veterans benefit information from social service agencies, the veterans' also enjoyed a turkey dinner.

The Homeless Veterans Stand Down is a program designed to help the nation's estimated 275,000 homeless veterans Úquot;combatÚquot; life on the streets. Homeless veterans are brought together in a single location for one to three days and are provided access to the community resources needed to begin addressing their individual problems and rebuilding their lives. The program is based on a military Stand Down, where during times of war, troops were able to take care of personal hygiene, get clean uniforms, enjoy warm meals and receive medical care, all in the safe environment of a base camp. The first Homeless Veterans Stand Down was held in 1988 in San Diego and since then, Stand Downs have been a vital resource in reaching out to homeless veterans, reaching more than 200,000 veterans and their family members between 1994-2000.

Nassau County has a veteran population of over 100,000 but it is estimated that 4,000 are homeless. We must do everything we can to assist these men and women who bravely served our country and see to it that they are taken care of during their times of need. The County has many different programs and agencies that can help homeless veterans and their families. For further information, please call the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency at 572-8450.