San Diego Stand Down 2011

Printer-friendly version

In times of war, “Stand Down” refers to the time when an exhausted soldier is removed from the battlefield and placed in a secure base camp to rest, get a clean uniform, enjoy a warm meal, receive medical and dental care, and enjoy the camaraderie of friends in a safe environment.

Today, Stand Down is the name of a community-based intervention program designed to help the nation's estimated 200,000 homeless veterans "combat" life on the streets.  Veteran’s Village of San Diego organized the nation's first Stand Down in 1988. Since then, the program has been widely replicated nationwide and now more than 200 Stand Downs take place across the country every year.

For three days in July, Equal Justice Works staff, along with some of our AmeriCorps Legal Fellows and Summer Corps members, had the opportunity to participate in the 24^th annual San Diego Stand Down, the largest event of its kind in the country.  The three-day event provided holistic services to more than 1,000 veterans.  Everything from showers and haircuts to medical treatment and chaplain services were made available in a tent city manned by veterans and thousands of volunteers.  

One of the services offered to veterans is a homeless court, set-up on site, where veterans can have their cases resolved immediately. The services are a joint collaboration of the San Diego Public Defender Office, District Attorney, City Attorney and the San Diego court system.  Volunteer attorneys from JAG (Judge Advocate General), legal services attorneys, and our AmeriCorps Fellows assisted the veterans from initial intake through their hearings, which were held under a tent on a handball court. 

Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow Elly Kugler currently works with at-risk veterans at the Inner City Law Center in Los Angeles.  She travelled to San Diego to participate in the Stand Down and had this to say about her experience:

The San Diego Stand Down gave me the opportunity to see a model of what wrap-around, holistic services can look like. As we assisted low-income and homeless veterans clear warrants and resolve stressful fines and other legal matters, it was wonderful to see an event that addressed all their many other needs.  Many of the veterans received medical treatment and dental services prior to meeting with us, while some passed their time waiting to speak with a lawyer by reading books donated by the local library. The event was an excellent example of how effective legal services can be when combined with other service,  and when those services are given with respect. Working with the San Diego Office of the Public Defender, we were able to help low-income veterans take care of low-level infractions and fines so they could focus on their mental and physical health, on stability and on finding employment. I was impressed by how seamlessly the court went. I am proud to say that every one of the 20-plus veterans I assisted walked away happy with the outcomes of their cases – due mostly to a wonderful judge, the accommodating prosecutors and the incredibly hard-working and well-organized Public Defender’s office. Our law clerks had a great time seeing how provision of holistic legal services can look and observing on-your-feet lawyering! It was an invaluable experience.

Also in attendance at the Stand Down was Equal Justice Works Summer Corps member Jon Killoran.  Serving with Elly at the Inner City Law Center, Jon worked exclusively with the Homeless Court and San Diego Public Defenders Office, observing how the process worked and providing legal input in select cases.  Jon commented on the fact that the Stand Down provides an exceptional opportunity for at-risk veterans to handle their legal problems in an informal and non-adversarial setting.  In addition to any legal matters, the Stand Down enables veterans to tackle the root problems of homelessness by treating substance addiction, providing job training and offering medical services and counseling. 

Equal Justice Works is proud to have joined the more than 3,000 volunteers at the 2011 San Diego Stand Down.  For additional information on the Stand Down or Veterans Village of San Diego, visit http://www.vvsd.net/standdown.htm