TUCSON, Ariz - Some military veterans serve our country, then sink into a world of unemployment and homelessness.
There is hope and help for them at a Veterans stand-down in Tucson Thursday and Friday.
In the military, a stand-down is time to rest, recover, then go back to the battle.
The stand-down at the Grand Luxe Hotel, 1365 W. Grant Road, is to help veterans, recover from lives that may have left them jobless and homeless.
J. Cotton just got some new boots but he's come for a new start-- a chance to see a Tucson judge at the stand-down to settle old legal trouble still haunting him.
"I'm hoping to get some of those fines reduced because I've been in rehab and it's hard to pay the fines when you're in rehab."
Image counts when you're rebuilding a life, and that includes a sharp haircut provided free at the stand-down
Among the clothes available are some really nice suits perfect for job interviewing. You know, you look good, you feel good and you are ready to sell yourself.
The chance for a job interview is a big part of the stand-down. Some vets may think there's no hope for a job because they have a felony criminal record. But employers like Joey Sorce of Family Auto says a record is not a deal breaker for someone ready to work hard and learn.
He says. "There are employers out there that will put you to work, have apprenticeship programs going like we do and just don't feel hopeless. We're good to go."
To see how hope can become reality, there’s Cliff Wade. He was homeless with a felony prison record when he came to a stand down nine years ago.
He says, “I think what changed my mind was the judge telling me that if he ever saw me in his court again I'd wear orange the rest of my life."
Contacts he met at that stand-down led to a place to live, job training, a college degree and a job doing homeless outreach for the City of Tucson.
Now as a volunteer with Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans, he is leading this stand-down.
The stand-down continues Friday from 9am to 2pm at the Grand Luxe Hotel, 1365 W. Grant Road in Tucson. That’s on Grant, just west of I-10.
