‘This is great’: Stand Down event helps unhoused veterans

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Local officials in Seminole County teamed up in support of their veterans on Saturday.

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They hosted a special event in partnership with the Department of Health and County Veteran Services. “I come here every year man, this is great,” said Pete Lozado, a Marine Corps Veteran. “I went in 1978, I got out in 1998. I traveled a lot, seen a lot of death, a lot of sorrow. But I made it back, in one piece.”

There was a little bit of everything - from health care services, to dental screenings, from haircuts to clothes - the hope is to empower and bring back some quality of life to the former servicemen and women.

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“We inform them we have a facility where they can turn to once a year into a place where there’s no judgment. We want to help the homeless veterans find their way back home,” Bob Dallari, Seminole County Commissioner.

It’s also a chance for volunteers to give back to their community. “It just something that brings everybody together, making sure everyone is getting along, and becoming one,” Jason Garcia, volunteer.

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Hundreds showed up at the event on Saturday; it is the first event of this kind since COVID19 - the county is already planning for next year.

“I think it’s so easy for certain populations like the veterans to just be forgotten and I think an event like this really brings them back to the forefront,” Dr. Ethan Johnson, with Florida Department of Health, Seminole County.

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