Sacramento Stand Down Association

Since 1992, the Sacramento Stand Down Association has provided services and comfort during each mid-September weekend in a tent city erected to care for approsimately 350 - 400 homeless veterans and their families.

In addition to sheltered rest off the gruond, the Stand Down (a historic military term for a relief point behind the front lines) provides seven hot meals plus a variety of government agencies are available to help veterans find jobs, get housing, go to school, get counseling, experience the shared comradeship with other veterans, and receive support from hundreds of volunteers. The veterans also receive showers, new or slightly used clothing, new sleeping bags and tennis shoes, haircuts to help their self-esteem, entertainment to share the joy of being together with others who have shared life circumstances, legal services, and a wide variety of other services designed to make their lives more meaningful.