VietNow National Magazine

Stand Down at Camp Algonquin

Ever wonder how bad the homeless situation really is?
Work a stand down with VietNow sometime and find out
what it's really like out there.

By Joe Lewis – VietNow National Legislative Committee Chairman

I’ve been asked if there really are homeless veterans here in McHenry County, Illinois. That can only be answered with the simple reply of yes.

Working at the recent stand down at Camp Algonquin was more of an education than you might think. Hard-working people helped the veterans with disability claims, housing assistance, employment assistance, medical exams, and more.

I had one of the best jobs of all. My day started at 5:30 a.m., with my first
of several stops at the Harvard train station. I finally got home at about 8:30 that first night. I was tired and drunk from the road by the end of the day. The hours driving around, looking for and asking about homeless veterans to take to the stand down, are how my first full day was spent. On the road looking for veterans – talking with police, railway workers, and city employees – it was a rewarding time.

One hazard in working for the Veterans Assistance Commission as a transportation driver is seeing homeless veterans right here in our beautiful county. The one who really got to me is the rider I picked up at a train station, and then the other by the bridge. These are the hazards of doing and caring about those we come across.

We talked with the vets to see if there might be something they could use that would provide them with just a slight bit of comfort. This is how the drivers and our riders could show the person that there are people out there who care about them.

Some veterans are on the street because they truly want to be. There was one veteran who I met during the stand down who has an apartment only because he needs to have it. But his choice is to live on the street. When he can no longer handle the cold, he will move into the apartment until he warms up, and then back out he goes.

We talked for a long time trying to find out if there was something that VietNow could get him to make his day just a bit better. To summarize his fading words as he walked away, “Someone out there needs it (assistance) more than I do. Find them and help them. I can live out here very well by myself.”

How can this thinking be questioned? As I drove home that evening it occurred to me that there truly are veterans who make the choice to be on the streets. When they are ready, they will come in from the cold to recharge their batteries. Then they go back to the streets where they truly feel in control of their immediate environment. They know how to panhandle extremely well.

I came away from this stand down with a better knowledge of the homeless issue. Not just of the veterans, but the homelessness of the civilian populace as well. I have worked at stand downs before. But this was the first time I actually spent time out on the street looking for those veterans who could be helped.
So, what can we do for those who need our help? I can say that I do not have an idea what to do. With our joined forces we can get a clearer picture of the things we can do to help them when they want to come out of the cold for that final time.

One of the most important things my father and mother taught us kids was working to make our community better. Dad, I think you taught us that lesson very well. This is something that makes my wife, Rose, and me click so well together. For our own reasons we give back to our community as often and as much as possible. We love it.

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VietNow National
1835 Broadway – Rockford, Illinois 61104
800.837.VNOW – 815.227.5100
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