“Stand Down” Event for Homeless Veterans in Hernando County

Hernando County, Florida — September 6, 2025

On September 6, 2025, Hernando County hosted a Stand Down event for homeless veterans, bringing together local nonprofits, veteran services organizations, and community partners to provide critical resources and support.

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What happened

• The event was spearheaded by the Guardian Foundation, with partner organizations including the Brooksville Elks Club #2582, CareerSource Florida / Florida Commerce, Responders First, Hernando County Veterans Services, the VA Clinic in Brooksville, Marine Corps League 708, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and People Helping People.
• Though turnout was described as “small,” organizers noted that low participation wasn’t for want of effort: the event mobile units made three to four trips to different locations throughout the county to try to reach homeless veterans.
• Among the concrete results, Myron Meek of the VA Clinic in Brooksville successfully enrolled two homeless veterans in healthcare benefits during the event.
• The Brooksville VA Clinic (on Cortez), which serves about 7,000 veterans, provides a variety of outpatient services — primary care, mental health, diagnostics, nutrition counseling, and tele-specialty referrals (linking veterans to specialists in nearby areas such as Tampa).
• Local Veterans Services Officer Robert Werts plays a central role in outreach: helping veterans and survivors with state and federal benefit applications (disability, pensions, widow’s benefits, etc.), discharge upgrades, appeals, coordinating transportation, and more.
• The Brooksville Elks Club raised $6,000 (via a Spotlight Grant from the Elks National Foundation) used to purchase supplies for homeless veterans: tarps, duffel bags filled with items like socks, toiletries, clothes, raincoats, hygiene supplies, flashlights, food and water, etc. These were distributed at the event; extras were left with People Helping People in Spring Hill to distribute later.
• Additional support came from organizations like the DAV (Disabled American Veterans), Responders First (which offers mental health / behavioral health support), etc.

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Why this matters & what needs pushing

From a progressive standpoint, the Stand Down event highlights gaps in veteran support and homelessness policy, as well as some promising models. Key takeaways:

• Access to benefits and healthcare remains a major hurdle. Even when entitlements exist, many veterans don’t know about them or have difficulty navigating the paperwork, especially after trauma. Having veteran service officers and mobile outreach is essential.
• Mental health care and emotional support are under-addressed. The continued “suck it up” mindset among veterans (as expressed by Robert Werts) indicates cultural and systemic pressure preventing timely help-seeking. Policies need to normalize mental health care for veterans.
• Basic survival supplies matter: tarps, hygiene items, clothing, etc., might seem modest, but for veterans without stable housing, they are life-sustaining. Ensuring consistent funding for nonprofit partnerships that can distribute such crucial resources is a must.
• Scaling up & sustainability is critical. Organizers acknowledge turnout was low, but the event is something to build on. Funding, capacity, and awareness must grow so that in future events, more veterans can be reached, including those who might be isolated or hard to contact.
• Preventive measures: Homelessness among veterans often reflects earlier systemic issues — injuries, mental health, inadequate post-service transitions, gaps in benefits. More proactive steps (legislation, state and county support structures, affordable housing) can reduce the need for crisis-style events.

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What might help going forward

• Increased funding for Veterans Services Departments at county and state levels so they can do more outreach.
• Simplify benefit application processes; reduce bureaucratic delays.
• Expand transportation options: many veterans have mobility or travel barriers.
• Partner with housing providers and mental health agencies to provide wraparound services, not just one-off events.
• Public awareness campaigns so veterans of all ages know what resources exist, and feel safe seeking help.

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