SARASOTA (WSNN) – Homeless veterans get the help they need on the Suncoast from Jewish Family and Children Services, by getting access to endless resources at an annual event all about them.
Free showers, free food, and a chance to get home are just some of the many services homeless Veterans in Sarasota received, Saturday morning.
“This such an incredible opportunity to help the people that have served our country,” JFCS of the Suncoast’s Director of Homeless and Prevention Services Shellie Legarsky said.
The Jewish-inspired organization, JFCS of the Suncoast partnered with more than 35 agencies to host its 9th Homeless Veterans Stand Down event. More than 70 people came out.
“We have an issue in this community with homelessness in general,” Legarsky said. “So to be able to have all these providers for them in one location, it’s really important.”
A critical aspect of the event is to get the homeless veterans registered with the VA and see what they’re eligible for like medical, dental, and legal services. Some of the agencies include Turning Point, License on Wheels, and Streets of Paradise.
“It’s a very good thing because a lot of people need stuff like this,” Army veteran, Richard Hugine said.
It’s not so much the material things you get from them, but the information that they give you. Because a lot of times you won’t have that information.”
Hugine served in the army in the 1970s. While he has gone through homelessness, he keeps a positive outlook on life.
“I wouldn’t call it a struggle, I’d call it a traveling experience,” Hugine said. “We going to go through things, and to me, it’s like a test.”
Infinite Wishes supports veterans and homelessness services. So, they partnered with the Sarasota South 2495, a Fraternal organization, to put together backpacks for the vets.
“They don’t have a lot of storage, and so that’s a really big problem, so wanted something useful that they maybe not normally spend money on like inspect spray, first aid kit or necessities that sometimes we may overlook,” a Sarasota South 2495 representative, Richard Bouchard said.
Veterans also enjoyed free food and some good community support.
JFCS of the Suncoast is a Jewish agency that offers mental health and social services for individuals.