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CareerSource helps local homeless veterans get back on their feet

News Herald - 11/13/2020

Nov. 14--PANAMA CITY -- CareerSource held their 13th annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down event on Friday to help homeless veterans get back on their feet.

The event was held at Gulf Coast State College and it had stations in the East Union that offered services the veterans needed. The stations offered clothes, toiletries and substance abuse treatment.

Also Doorway of Northwest Florida was there to help with veterans' living situations, while the state Department of Health was there to check veterans' help and provide other services.

One veteran said he and other veterans look forward to the event every year.

"I'm one of the guys who waits the whole year because this is the best help I'm ever going to get," said McHenry Littleton. "Everybody in here bends over backwards for you. These people are the best in the world."

Littleton said that it helps that everything is in one place because it's difficult for him to get to the different offices due to lack of transportation. He said that the Homeless Veterans Stand Down event is one that a lot of homeless veterans wait on.

Doorways of NWFL's main purpose is to help those who are homeless. Not only do they try to get the homeless into homes, they assist with past due rent, utilities and try to keep people in their homes.

With the recent news of United Way of Northwest Florida receiving $5 million in federal CARES Act funding for COVID-19 pandemic aid, the Homeless Veterans Stand Down event came at a good time.

"We just spoke to a veteran who is falling behind, who we helped originally get into a place, but now he's falling behind and he may fit into the category for the help we have right now," said Shelley Berry, outreach specialists for Doorways of NWFL. "Hurricane Michael impacted us so greatly in this community, so on top of the COVID-19 pandemic coming along, it was compounded."

Berry added that some homeless veterans they help house might have lost jobs and are now falling behind. She also said she has four brothers, two sisters and a father who are veterans and it is gratifying for her to help with homeless veterans in Bay County.

Some of the homeless veterans were also being escorted around by current military members from station to station. They were helping them with veterans assistance, clothes and how to get back into the workforce.

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