By Tito A. Cortez

We work closely with the Homeless Veterans Emergency Housing Facility at 10 Kirk Avenue known to many of us as the Kirk House in San Jose, California. And we were lucky because after 2 years, we were able to help our First Homeless Veteran received a 100% disability rating.

Additionally, with the help of our Brother Kevin Martin, a Veteran Homeless Peer Counselor with VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Menlo Park, our caseloads have, over the last three months, catapulted to over 90 homeless Veteran brothers and sisters coming to VSSA to apply for service connected disability compensation claim. Thank you, Kevin. Brother, this is your mission.

When we were serving, we made a promise to never let anyone of our brothers and sisters left behind especially during war. The same should be true now that our brothers and sisters are Veterans.

And we are highly thankful of our brothers and sisters in Monterey County, Fort Ord, California, for continuing to help our Homeless Brothers and Sisters by sponsoring their 3rd Annual Stand Down to be held in August 19, 2016 to August 21, 2016. If you can spare a little bit of time, please go to www.vtcmonterey.org or call Marlene at 831-883-8387 x 238.

We are also very excited of Ms. Marion Moses, Director of the County Veterans Service Office of Santa Clara County in announcing before the Veterans Voices of Santa Clara County that she and her office will be sponsoring a Stand Down for our Homeless Veterans in Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley in the near future. Thank you, Ms. Moses for caring and sponsoring a Stand Down in Santa Clara County.