Description
To bring awareness to public, county, and state libraries to participate in this event to help connect veterans to local, state, and federal resources and services.
Cost
- Check with the event organizer if a vendor registration fee is required for social service organizations and businesses willing to participate.
- No cost to the public or veterans.
- DOL's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) awards Stand Down funding through the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) on an annual basis, pending funding reauthorization. This noncompetitive grant is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to support one day or multi-day events at up to $7,000 or $10,000, respectively. [https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/programs/StandDown]
Timing
Annual event.
Suggested Duration
1 to 3 days.
Resources needed
Public Libraries
- Children’s books for story time
- Puppet show
- Mobile makerspace or mobile lab
- Bookmobile and book donation
- Information about the library services and programming
- 3 or 4 laptops with Wi-Fi capability
- Short film viewing
If municipal and county courts are attending the Stand Down, law libraries can make available access to:
- Legal resources- dictionaries, forms, etc.
- States and federal statutes
Tips for Success
Coordinate with local and state social support services, Veteran Affairs Homeless Program, Veteran Service Organizations, VA Medical Center and Regional Offices.
Assessment Ideas
- Attendance – number of people who visited the library’s booth.
- Survey library staff that participated at the Stand Down.
- Event organizer debriefing and survey.
Partners and Stakeholders
Additional Resources/Bibliography
- U.S. Department of Labor | Stand Down - Stand Downs are typically one- to three-day events providing supplies and services to homeless Veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling. They are collaborative events, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, the Department of Labor (DOL), other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers [Source]
- VA Homeless Programs | Stand Down – calendar of scheduled and new events. Including VA Stand Down point of contact (POC) at your nearest local VA Medical Center. [Source]
- National Coalition for the Homeless - is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To end and prevent homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights are respected and protected. [Source]
- Veterans Service Organizations – Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW); Disabled American Veterans (DAV); Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) and Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) [Source]
- Inside a Successful Stand Down: Tips from the Experts [Source]
Submitted by
Janice Young, Central Office Library, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Public Domain
This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Foreign copyrights may apply.
