Volunteering With and For Homeless Veterans
If you’ve ever wondered how to help our nation’s homeless veterans, you’ll be interested to know that there are several ways to volunteer for and with Homeless Veterans of America. There are in-person volunteer programs, virtual teams, and career paths. All of these volunteer opportunities can make a difference in the lives of our nation’s veterans.
Stand Down
Stand Down is a movement that helps Homeless Veterans find shelter and other services in their communities. It started in 1988 with the initiative of two Vietnam veterans, Robert Van Keuran and Dr. Jon Nachison. Since then, it has spread all over the country and is now a nationwide event with more than 200 locations.
When considering volunteering with Stand Down, make sure to find out which organization organizes Stand Down events in your area. The VA has an online directory where you can find local stand downs. Before participating in a Stand Down, you may need to show a government-issued photo ID and register, which helps the organizers allocate resources.
In-person Homeless Veterans
Volunteering for an organization such as Soldiers’ Angels is an excellent way to serve your community. This nonprofit organization organizes meals, provides care packages, and helps homeless veterans find housing. Volunteers do many things for the organization, such as delivering meals, giving out donated food, and planning events.
Before beginning your volunteer work, it is important to do your research and talk to veterans. Learn about their challenges and interests, and challenge your own assumptions about what they might need from you. You can also volunteer with a local shelter or agency that helps homeless veterans. You can also donate your time to organizations that help homeless veterans through Stand Down programs or fundraising efforts.
Virtual teams Homeless Veterans
If you are interested in working with homeless veterans, you may be wondering what the best way to go about doing it is. One way is to organize a virtual team. This group consists of volunteers who help with many different tasks, including delivering meals to veterans, distributing groceries to veterans, and arranging visits to veterans in hospitals. Another way to volunteer with homeless veterans is by fundraising for veteran organizations or volunteering for Stand Down programs.
In mid-March, Team Rubicon put out a call for virtual volunteers, geared toward Greyshirts 65 and older. However, due to COVID-19 vulnerability, management had to restrict the number of people who could be deployed. The decision was based on guidelines from the CDC. Despite this limitation, nearly two thousand Greyshirts answered the call.
Resources
Volunteering is a great way to help military families. These individuals need assistance with a variety of issues, including life skills, employment skills, resume writing, interview techniques, and legal issues. You can help military families by volunteering your time, giving financial assistance, or getting involved with a local stand-down program.
The first step to volunteering with homeless veterans and military families is to understand their needs. Start by talking with veterans or reading up on the issues facing them. Then, challenge your own assumptions. You may want to consider participating in a Stand Down event, a community-based, grassroots intervention program that helps tens of thousands of veterans reintegrate into society. Another organization that provides services to homeless veterans and military families is Volunteers of America, a faith-based national organization. With the help of volunteers, VOA helps nearly 2 million veterans in the U.S. and 23,000 in the Greater Ohio area.