With Veterans Day approaching, Santa Clara County is offering free health and social services to local vets this weekend.
The annual Stand Down offers housing and employment assistance, medical and dental screenings, mental health resources, legal aid, groceries, clothing, showers, haircuts and hot lunches. The event kicked off Thursday at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds and runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is free for veterans and their families, and VTA is providing free transportation to and from the event — no ID needed.
Stand Downs were created to provide resources and assistance to veterans following the Vietnam War. While they’re traditionally focused on homeless veterans, Santa Clara County’s event is open to all veterans. Darlyn Escalante, director of the Santa Clara County Office of Veterans Services, said many Vietnam veterans came home without support and lived in isolation with invisible wounds. This weekend’s event is a call to action for the community to give back and support local vets.
“Whatever their circumstances are, we welcome them. We opened it to families as well because they too are entitled to benefits, and sadly most of them are caregivers,” Escalante told San José Spotlight. “The Stand Down … is a way of providing that support that so many veterans need when they transition from service to the civilian world. … We have never forgotten the sacrifice they’ve made. We are here to support them.”
Lt. Col. Steve Fondacaro, a 30-year retired Army veteran and Santa Clara County Social Services Agency director, said receiving services and connecting with other people who have served in the military is everything.
“These people understand what the hell that means,” he told San José Spotlight. “It means people putting together their benefits. It means a mobile dental unit where they can get thousands of dollars of dental work done free. VA medical offices are here. You can get clothes. You can get produce. You can get packaged foods. What’s beautiful about this is that we bring it all to one location.”
Santa Clara County has worked to house homeless veterans over the years. It reached a milestone of “functional zero” among homeless veterans in 2020, where the number of veterans getting housed exceeds the number falling into homelessness. Since then, nearly 3,000 veterans have been housed in the region as of November 2024, according to county data.
Veteran Walter Bateast appreciates the Stand Down’s welcoming environment. He said it’s meaningful to veterans who have struggled and may be homeless. He said it gets them in the doorway and also provides medical services.
“That’s something that’s priceless: to feel comfortable about yourself and your surroundings and what they’re doing for you,” he told San José Spotlight. “They appreciate us and what we did for this country.”
Veteran Paul Almeida served in Guam and the Azores where he worked in logistics to support cargo planes. He attended the event Thursday for dental services and said he didn’t know he was entitled to services for 26 years.
Almeida said the services and resources provided at the Stand Down are crucial for the survival of homeless people.
“Granted, some of them have mental health issues, addiction issues, emotional issues, but you have to meet people where they are, especially veterans,” he told San José Spotlight.
Veteran Lee Blake, who served in the Marine Corps, received a Purple Heart after stepping on a landmine in Vietnam left him with critical injuries. He said he has metal knees, plastic eyes, skin graft eardrums and a stomach held together with polyester mesh. He was the last of 24 Marines deployed together from Camp Lejeune to Da Nang, the rest having been wounded or killed.
Blake said as no one he knew while serving is still alive, he appreciates being able to meet fellow veterans at the Stand Down.
“We had a gentleman here first thing in the morning who had a court date and he wanted to get cleaned up,” Blake told San José Spotlight. “So, we had a shower here for him.”
Liz Dietz, who worked as a nurse during the Vietnam War era and has volunteered with the American Red Cross for 45 years, said the Stand Down is essential to connect veterans with services. She said even providing veterans with free haircuts improves their self-esteem. Her husband, Larry Dietz, served for 27 years including active duty as a lieutenant in Bosnia.
“We have everything from showers to haircuts to dental, housing, food, clothing and most of all respect and appreciation for the people who have served,” Larry Dietz told San José Spotlight.
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].
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