V E T E R A N S   S E R V I C E S

The Third Annual Veterans Stand Down will be held on Friday, May 1, in the Police Academy building at Suffolk County Community College’s Brentwood Campus.

The Veterans Stand Down program helps all veterans in attendance get acquainted with the array of services that are available to them through agencies including the Northport VA Medical Center, the New York State Veterans Agency, the Salvation Army, the Society of St. Vincent DePaul and the U.S. Department of Labor. Special outreach is given to the county’s population of homeless veterans, who often fall through the cracks of the system.

In addition to having access to agency-sponsored assistance programs, veterans at the event receive a boxed lunch and a pair of eye glasses if needed. Showers, non-perishable food and clothing are also available to those veterans in need of them.

Transportation to and from the event for any veteran who wishes to attend has also been arranged. Working with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the Suffolk County Transit system, free bus service will be available for all veterans.

The evolution and growth of Veterans Stand Down is one element within my 10-year plan to end homelessness. The success of last year’s program was a driving factor in my decision to hold the event for veterans again in 2009. Nearly 150 volunteers helped guide 168 veterans to programs and services associated with housing, employment, food, finances and clothing, among others last year. Thirty-four service organizations were represented, and the number of veteran participants surpassed the number of attendees at the April, 2007 event (87).

Veterans Stand Down has become a shining example of synergy that includes government, local agencies, and non-profit organizations. We are dedicated to showing our veterans that the very people and government they have so bravely represented are here to help them now, in their time of need.

Veterans make up more than 11 percent of the population in Suffolk County – equaling nearly 120,000 county veterans. This is the highest number of veterans in a single county in all of New York State. Unfortunately, veterans also comprise some 26 percent of the homeless population, both nationally and in Suffolk County.

We cannot let those who have returned from protecting their home country to be homeless themselves. Nobody should be homeless in this day and age; especially our nation’s most brave and selfless individuals.
S A V E   T H E   D A T E

A N N U A L   A R M E D   F O R C E S   D A Y   C E R E M O N Y

Date: SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Place: Armed Forces Plaza, 100 Veterans Memorial Hwy., Hauppauge.  

Everyone is welcome!

For further information, please call (631) 853-VETS.

Questions? Please Contact: Thomas Ronayne / Phone: (631) 853-8387 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it