PORT TOWNSEND — Voices for Veterans hosted its second Stand Down event of the year Monday morning, to assist veterans with accessing resources they need.
The event allowed veterans to have free medical and dental screenings, talk with pro-bono lawyers, get new clothes, find housing, employment and education information, and much more as they walked through the Port Townsend Elks Lodge.
Voices for Veterans is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping veterans, said Voices for Veterans President John Braasch.
Voices has hosted the Stand Down event for 16 years now, and they host it three times a year. The first was in May in Forks, and the third will be in Port Angeles in October, said Braasch.
The goal of the event is “to provide services for veterans, homeless veterans, veterans in need and their families,” Braasch said.
If someone was looking for services, they would have to bounce around the county or even leave the county, Braasch said. During a Stand Down, everything is in one building and if one provider can’t answer a specific question, there is one that can.
Since they started the Stand Downs, more than 10,000 veterans have utilized the services in some way, Braasch said.
“Not all veterans see the same or receive the same resources,” he said.
Stand Down costs the Voices for Veterans about $20,000 a year, with the Forks and Port Townsend events costing approximately $5,000 each and Port Angeles costing closer to $10,000, said Braasch.
“Funding comes from local donations; we don’t take government grants,” Braasch said. “We don’t want grants that could limit what we want to do.
“We want to run our own show.”
Retired Master Sgt. Richard McLaughlin said his favorite part of the event is: “The other vets. All the the services are good but seeing the other veterans and getting to interact with them is the most rewarding part,” he said.
Voices for Veterans isn’t just an organization — it feels like a family, Braasch said.
“The whole Voices for Veterans are like a family,” Braasch said. “We treat all the veterans that come through as long-lost cousins at a family reunion.”
Braasch said one of his favorite parts of the event is seeing the veterans relax and get the services they need without any hassle or judgment by the providers, event coordinators or fellow veterans.
One of the providers present at the event was the Dove House Advocacy Services, which was providing information about all the services they can assist with and promoting their upcoming Recovery Cafe, which will be geared toward addiction services.
“A big part of the outreach is to make people aware of our services,” Outreach Coordinator Heather Freund said. “Many people don’t know [Dove] provides services for other crimes than domestic violence.”
Dove has been at the Stand Down event for at least five years and their goal for the event is letting people know about their resources, Freund said.
Braasch said he has seen the difference the Stand Down events have made, sharing a story about a female veteran that came to the event a few years ago.
The veteran had been pregnant, homeless, unemployed and single when she came to the event, and when she left, she had prenatal prescriptions, a place to live and contacts she could use to find a job, Braasch said.
The event the year after, she again returned, but this time with her child in a stroller and she was living happily with a job and a place to live, Braasch said.
“She got all she needed in an hour and a half,” he said.
The clothing that Voices hands out at the event are not used clothes. They are bought new for the veterans, said Braasch.
“They don’t need clothing left over from a yard sale,” Braasch said.
To make a donation to Voices for Veterans, mail a check to Voices for Veterans, PO Box 2810, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
The next Stand Down event is scheduled for Oct. 3 at the Clallam County Fairgrounds.
The event is open to all veterans who need help, regardless of rank, gender or current life situation.
“They ring the bell, we answer,” Braasch said.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5 or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
