Locals ‘Stand Down’ for Myrtle Beach’s homeless veterans

Helping homeless veterans overcome some difficult barriers can often make all the difference, and that was the focus in Myrtle Beach on Friday.

“This is a good step, what we’re doing here,” said Kris Tourtellotte, founder and director of the Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center in Little River. “Our whole scheme of things is that we need to find the veterans, and when we find them, let them know what’s available.”

At the 2nd Annual Myrtle Beach Stand Down for Homelessness, volunteers worked to help homeless veterans and, those in danger of losing their homes.

The event, held at the U.S. Army Reserve Building, was hosted by the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center in Charleston and its Myrtle Beach VA, Outpatient Clinic, in partnership with the AARP in South Carolina and the Veteran’s welcome Home and Resource Center.

The VA Medical Center estimates that there are 150,000 homeless veterans in America. “We need to get as many as we can out of the woodwork and offer them what we can,” Tourtellotte said

Of the 134 veterans in need who attended the event, 47 were homeless and 12 were women.

Those 134 participating veterans received numerous donated items from churches, civic groups, businesses and a caring community, and they received guidance about resources available to them.

And some left in style.

Nicole Howard, an owner of Studio One Hair Design in Longs, and six others employees, each donated haircuts to up to 10 veterans. “They all seemed really grateful,” Howard said.

One homeless veteran told them that he never “goes off the grid” to go out in public, telling Howard his “chilling” story. He said he shoots the rabbits and squirrels he eats with rocks and a slingshot, but his eyesight is failing now and he can’t see well enough to aim his slingshot.

Stories of frightening challenges were all around at the event, but commander of the Lowcountry Veterans of Georgetown Earl Rutledge said that type of story is what drives people like himself to lend a hand.

“Any time you’re doing anything for the veteran or for those in need, especially the homeless veterans, it’s a success,” Rutledge said.

“It saddens my heart to know that veterans that have served a nation like the United States of America have to be in homeless situations. That grieves my spirit. But that’s why we’re here to work on the ‘no man left behind.’ ”

While they weren’t giving out any type of gift or fashion assistance, Tony Johnson and Jesse Oxendine were on hand to help veterans find something more important: jobs. They were representing the S.C. Department of Employment and Work Force, and they both work in the S.C. Works Center in Conway.

Johnson said they had talked with some veterans that were homeless and others that were “just shy” of homeless, needing work and trying to recover from barriers they are going through. Johnson said those hurdles include not having transportation or phone numbers where they can be reached.

By networking, Johnson found a veteran who was willing to work almost any kind of job but did not have a phone, but was qualified to get a free one. It’s just one example of a barrier being overcome, that can help the veteran get back on the right track. “Now if a job comes up, he’s got a phone, so we can work with him and get him a job,” Johnson said.

The veterans groups assisting at the event included the local chapter of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, which helped find homeless and needy veterans to participate.

Julius “Jewels” Strickland, secretary of the local chapter of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, said the homeless veteran problem in Myrtle Beach is unacceptable. “At the Combat Veterans Association, we feel that it is unacceptable for the veterans not to have a home and not to be able to better themselves,” he said. “They fought for the American dream and they should be able to take advantage of it.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 8:15 PM with the headline "Locals ‘Stand Down’ for Myrtle Beach’s homeless veterans."