Sooner Stand Down Serves Hundreds Of Homeless Veterans

Hundreds of homeless and low-income veterans converged on the Homeless Alliance Friday for the annual Sooner Stand Down.

The event at the Homeless Alliance is a one-stop shop for veterans in need. Beyond medical care and clothes, some of them are also reaching the ultimate goal of housing.

“This is the beginning of my life,” said Randall Zambrana, an Army veteran. He is one of eight vets who signed leases to homes Friday.

“I’m getting my apartment. I’m getting furniture and some food and they hooked me up with a job,” said Zambrana.

The VA, Homeless Alliance and partner agencies were able to find housing for three times as many veterans last year, however. Organizers say they are struggling due to current freezes at the Housing Authority and Housing Finance Agency.

Now the agencies are relying on landlords who are willing to rent their properties.

“When you’re trying to house someone who maybe has a felony and an eviction and a really bad credit rating, sometimes it’s difficult to get them into housing,” said Housing Alliance Executive Director Dan Straughn.

Despite the lack of housing resources, other veterans were happy to receive boots, clothes, food and haircuts along with medical and dental check-ups facilitated by more than 100 volunteers.

“There’s really no excuse or a community as generous as Oklahoma City is to have homeless veterans,” said Straughn.

Although many of the services at the Sooner Stand Down are available every day, it can be challenging to travel across town to get to the different agencies, especially when facing mental illness.

“It is substance abuse and mental health issues often secondary to their service,” said Straughn, “so secondary to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries. We’re seeing more and more of that amongst younger vets, and addiction disorders.”

Zambrana, who has been sober for 60 days, says you can achieve anything if you have the right motivation.

“I’ve got four grandkids,” he said, “and my kids stayed away from me because of the drug addiction and all that, so I’m doing it for them.”