The Athens Area Stand Down served individuals experiencing homelessness Oct. 4 and prepared them for winter.
The Stand Down, held at the Athens County Fairgrounds for the ninth year, was started by Athens County Court of Common Pleas Judge George McCarthy in 2016 after he visited the Ross County Stand Down and saw the need for a similar event in Athens.
McCarthy said a Stand Down is a military term for breaks soldiers take after battle to rest and recuperate. The term is applied to the Athens Area Stand Down and similar events as they assist veterans, a group that is particularly vulnerable to homelessness.
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 7% of the general population are veterans, yet nearly 13% of the homeless adults are veterans.
“One of the reasons I brought the idea back to Athens after visiting Ross County is because the (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and The Plains (were) having veterans stop by and sleep in their parking lot,” McCarthy said. “Once you start talking to the other military service clubs in the county, you realize that's not such an unusual event.”
Although the Stand Down was initially founded to help veterans, the Athens Area Stand Down was available to civilians, with the goal that anyone facing homelessness can meet their needs.
About 70 local organizations and businesses sponsored the Athens Area Stand Down.
The event provided various necessities, including haircuts, toiletries, clothing, mental health assistance, substance abuse treatment, legal services, job counseling, healthcare services and food.
Volunteers guided those needing care throughout the fairgrounds, ensuring they knew every service offered at the event.
“These are services people might not be aware of,” McCarthy said. “Even though they're very noteworthy in the community, it doesn't mean that these folks who are down and out have even heard of them, so (participants of the Athens Area Stand Down) help spread the word.”
The Athens Area Stand Down not only met its donation goals this year but also had a turnout of 139 people in need, with a 20-person increase in veteran turnout from last year.
Local volunteers came early in the morning for the veteran-specific services and stayed until the afternoon for civilians.
Thom Stevenson, an assistant professor in the Patton College of Education specializing in foodways and food sovereignty, provided lunch.
Stevenson and his students have provided lunch for the Athens Area Stand Down for three years. All meals are made using local food products kept in biodegradable containers.
Stevenson has recently made it a point to have students interact with the people they’re helping during the Stand Down rather than just preparing the food to be picked up and distributed later.
“One of the most impactful things, I think, for students, is to really see the faces of the people that they're serving, and one way to do that is to have a lived experience with them,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson also emphasized the importance of asking those who are food insecure, a population that overlaps with the homeless population, what they need.
“We would do ourselves well to sit in a space and ask questions that give us poignant responses and solutions because, within the individuals that are going through (food insecurity), they are very resilient, way more than people would ever know,” Stevenson said.
