Human-canine veteran outreach team receives donated truck to help Ventura County homeless
Mo Jazi
A donated pickup could help a service dog and his teammate reach out to homeless veterans in Ventura County.
A 2014 Chevrolet Silverado was presented Monday to Rafael Stoneman and service dog Leo, who venture into local homeless encampments as part of the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation’s mobile veteran outreach program.
The truck was donated by California Resources Corp. and handed over to Stoneman during a golf tournament fundraiser for the foundation at Las Posas Country Club in Camarillo.
Todd Stevens, a veteran and CEO of California Resources Corp., decided to donate the truck after reading a recent Star article about the work done by Stoneman and Leo.
“Now, we are getting the ability to go around the clock with the program,” said Dennis Murphy, foundation board chairman.
Tragedy:Borderline memorial to be dedicated on one-year anniversary of shooting
The dog and his caretaker are sent in when workers with law enforcement and county health services agencies can’t provide the help needed by veterans they encounter. Leo can open up veterans who otherwise shut down when they’re approached, according to the foundation.
“The service dog gives veterans something to connect about in the first few minutes,” Stoneman said. “They see that I am not the typical government official they may not to interact with because they have had some bad experiences.”
Stoneman often drives veterans to their appointments with the Department of Veterans Affairs or doctors or to apply for disability pension. The truck should come in handy for that.
SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM:Learn how you can make a difference in Ventura County and the world. Get unlimited access to coverage like this with a digital subscription to The Star.
He said Vietnam veterans can be particularly hard to reach, in part because some may not have felt welcomed when they returned home from the war.
“Being a special dog, Leo can get people out of their patterns of negativity,” Stoneman said. “He has a way of kind of getting them to be present in the moment, and from there, we can build relationship and start working together.”
Aside from the truck, donors have come through for Leo in other ways.
Since the dog recently had hip surgery, he needed a ramp to get into the truck. A donor provided that. A donor also is supplying a bag of dog food per month.
What the foundation does
The foundation’s doors are open to every veteran.
“We are non-discriminatory when it comes to where you live. In fact, we have veterans that travel 30 to 40 miles because they can access their needs on a walk in basis,” Murphy said.
The demand is high, and Murphy says there are as many as 20 to 30 veterans a week the foundation can’t help because it lacks the capacity.
Among those the foundation has helped were Twyla Williams and her husband, Andrew, a double Purple Heart disabled veteran.
“The foundation helped us with disability claims,” Twyla Williams said at the tournament. “Service dogs like Leo are great. You need to trust someone while you are dealing with a lot of anxiety. Leo does provide them with that comfort.”
Preparation:California earthquake alerts to become available statewide
Mo Jazi is a breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach him at mo.najafianJazi@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236.
Other veteran and homeless news: