Sacramento Stand Down left homeless veterans with 11 hour wait

Homeless, Disabled Veterans Frustrated by Change in Charity's Policy
Marin Austin
FOX40 News
September 21, 2012
SACRAMENTO

Dozens of homeless Sacramento-area veterans had to wait 11 hours before being let in to a charity event Friday.

"I usually show my military ID. They have my name on the list, and they let me in," disabled U.S. Navy Veteran Dwyane Smith said, explaining how it worked at previous Sacramento Stand Down events.

But this year, "they're not there for me right now, they're turning me away." said Smith.

Smith isn’t the only one. Dozens of veterans spent the day waiting outside of Camp Pollock Friday. This year, Sacramento Stand Down required veterans to preregister for their annual event. For a lot of veterans, that's a lot easier said than done.

"Most of the vets don't have phones or addresses; they don't get this information,” said Leon Robinson, a disabled veteran.
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