Turning Points helping homeless veterans rebuild their lives

BRADENTON, Fla. - In the U.S., homelessness among veterans is a big problem. A Manatee County organization is taking a stand to help them get back on their feet. 

Ken Downing spent two years in the U.S Navy. He enlisted at age 17 and served on the U.S.S Carr.

"It was both an honor and a duty," he said. "It was my first taste of freedom that we, as a community, don’t get outside of the military."

Over the course of Ken's life, a series of events left him on the streets of Manatee County.

Help is coming. Turning Points works to help the homeless every day. On Saturday they'll partner with community organizations to host Manatee County Stand Down. 

They'll bring services to those in need, like housing assistance, legal services, medical and dental screenings, clothing and even showers.

"It's vital that we provide services to the veterans. A lot of times, they get overlooked in services so this is the one day a year that Manatee County focuses on them," said Andy Guyer, housing program manager for Turning Points.

Over the last year, Turning Points has helped 400 veterans; 137 were living on the streets. 

As Stand Down Approaches, they hope to help even more.

"The hope is, any veteran or any Manatee County resident that needs a house and is ready to look for housing, gets connected to those services and gets put into some place where they can start their life over," said Guyer.

While organizations will come in to specifically help veterans, Stand Down will be open to all, giving everyone a chance to get back on the right track.

"It’s focused on veterans, but we also want the other people to know that if you are homeless and you need to get connected services, come on it because we will have services for everyone. A lot of them are just one or two pushes away from getting into something better so that’s what we are here for," said Guyer.

While it could take some time, Ken is ready.

"I'm not going to be on the streets forever. I’m going to claw my way back up," he said.

Manatee County Stand Down will be held Saturday, November 6 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Manatee County Fairgrounds, at 1303 27th Street West, Palmetto, FL.

Free bus travel will be provided by MCAT/SCAT. Transportation will also be provided in vans leaving from the Bradenton Salvation Army and Turning Points starting at 7:30 a.m.

LINK: For more information, visit: https://tpmanatee.org/events/2021-manatee-county-stand-down/