Veterans help other veterans who are down on their luck

The Home of the Heroes has heroes who are down on their luck, but other veterans are stepping in to help get them back on their feet.

The 16th annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down was today.

A stand down is when troops get a break from the battlefield, but for homeless veterans it’s a break from the streets.

“They can get out of their cold environment where they live in camps and other areas and be provided with hot meals and with resources we are giving the veterans,” Pueblo County Veteran Services worker Rudy Sabedra said.

One of the veterans who was helped out is David Morales. He retired from the Army in 1980. He said since he left his life went downhill.

“Well, when I got out, I couldn’t find a job. I got sick with diverticulitis and I couldn’t work after that anymore,” he said.

But his brothers and sisters from the armed forces helped him out.

” I got clothes and they are new clothes. They give us benefits that no one else can give,” Morales said.

Organizers said events like this have helped reduce the number of veterans who are homeless by more than 50 percent in Pueblo County in the last five years. They also said they helped 40 homeless veterans find homes at the event today.