Okaloosa County Veteran Standdown matches local vets with programs and services

Hundreds of volunteers gathered for the annual Okaloosa County Veteran Standdown on Wednesday at the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds.

“The homeless standdown is primarily to help the homeless veteran population of Okaloosa and Walton counties,” said Michael Tucker, with event organizer Okaloosa County Veterans Center in Shalimar. But, he notes, “It’s our plan and goal to take care of everyone who comes through the door.”

By midday that was about 75 people, most of them veterans. About 50 different tables were set up representing everything from Veterans Affairs housing and medical assistance to recovery programs and the job center CareerSouce of Okaloosa and Walton counties.

“One of the benefits of CareerSource being here is that it gives the veteran an opportunity to actually sit down and talk to someone about getting a job and ending that cycle of homelessness,” Tucker said.

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Other groups provided veterans with items, like toiletries, underwear, shoes and clothing.

Craig Smith came to the standdown looking for a cold-weather sleeping bag. The Army veteran is currently living on the streets and was preparing for cooler weather.

“I get 10% military disability check, and I lost that when I had to go to jail for three and a half months,” Smith said. “I gotta figure out how to get that back.”

Smith said he got some telephone numbers to call for help with his disability check and also for help with VA HUD housing. In the meantime, he got some clothes, a haircut from volunteer stylist Anita Skipper and enjoyed a pizza lunch with fellow veterans.

In another part of the fairgrounds Okaloosa County Judge Angela Mason was holding court, literally. Mason, who also presides over the county’s Veterans’ Court program, had a state’s attorney, a public defender and a court reporter set up in a small room to help veterans with minor legal issues.

Mason said she heard several cases that morning, including one person with an eviction issue and two others who had problems with their driver’s licenses.

“For one, I was able to pull some cases out of collection and hopefully get him on a payment plan with clerk’s office,” Mason said. “There was also a gentleman who had a misdemeanor Capias (warrant) because he failed to show up in my courtroom. He came in and explained to me what happened and I was able to recall that warrant and give him a new court date.”

Tucker said that every veteran’s story and their problems are unique to that individual, and the goal is to offer access to as many different veterans services and programs as possible.

“If we can get them in front of the resources,” Tucker said, “nine times out 10 we can do some good for them and help them out.”