As homeless veterans began lining up Wednesday for the annual Stand Down for Homeless Veterans, city officials cited progress in housing.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer said more than 200 once-homeless veterans and their families have moved off San Diego’s streets since the $12.5 million Housing Our Heroes program was launched four months ago.
“Breaking the cycle of homelessness isn’t easy, but the fact that we’ve helped hundreds of homeless veterans find housing after just starting the program in March shows that this new approach is working,” Faulconer said.
More than 130 others have qualified for the housing program and are in the process of finding a rental apartment or house. It typically takes one to four weeks to find housing once an individual qualifies.
The annual Stand Down for Homeless Veterans begins Friday at 6 a.m. at San Diego High School and continues through the weekend. Participants can receive a variety of services like medical checkups, new clothing, job counseling and housing assistance.
State Assemblywoman Toni Atkins brought over 5,000 pairs of donated socks, and met with a formerly homeless veteran who now has housing. She said state programs are helping to address the problem of un-affordable housing for all Californians, but especially veterans.
“The need is even more acute for our vets,” Atkins said. “They shouldn’t come home and have to live on the street.”
Veterans Village of San Diego, which organizes the annual Stand Down event, expects nearly 1,000 homeless veterans to participate.
City News Service contributed to this article.
