Maybe you've seen the grizzled men on the street holding signs that read something like, "Homeless vet, please help."

While those men tend to have served in the Vietnam War, an annual event held last year in Salt Lake City drew homeless veterans, male and female, from conflicts as recent as Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's not an affliction to any one group of veterans," said Susan Huff, public affairs officer at the George F. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

This year's so-called "Stand Down" event is set for Nov. 3, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Medical Center's multipurpose center in Building 8, located on the hospital's campus at 500 Foothill Drive.

With free transportation provided to the event, homeless veterans can, for free, get access to food, clothing, legal advice, medical screenings and mental health evaluations, counseling on VA and Social Security benefits and help with finding employment and getting free identification cards.

"We're really trying to reach out," Huff said.

The annual stand down — a term the American Heritage Dictionary defines as a "relaxation from a state of readiness or alert" — draws almost as many veterans as it does volunteers from the VA hospital, Hill Air Force Base and several community, state and federal agencies.

Stand downs were first organized in 1988 by a group of Vietnam veterans in San Diego, according to the VA. Between 1994 and 2000, the annual events held across the country served more than 200,000 veterans and their families.

There are about 160,000 veterans in Utah, of whom about 1,600 are homeless. It's hard, however, to get a firm count on homeless veterans because of transiency issues and a distrust of government, said Terry Schow, director of veterans affairs in Utah.

For some veterans, "There's been a reluctance to link in with the system in any way," Schow said, referring in particular to Vietnam veterans, many of whom are now in their 60s.

Then there are veterans who also get bogged down with a substance abuse problem, which, whether homeless or not, stands in the way of them getting help, Schow said. He wants more veterans who are hurt or injured as a result of their military service to contact the VA for the assistance they have earned.

It's estimated that about half of Utah's homeless veterans are actually getting some form of monetary benefit through the VA, according to Don Wardle, public affairs for the VA's regional office and an experienced veterans benefits counselor.

An eligible veteran can draw as little as $112 per month or up to $2,400 a month. Whatever the benefit amount, Wardle said some homeless veterans are bound to that lifestyle, usually because they have either a mental health problem or an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol.

"One is too many," Wardle said about the number of Utah's homeless veterans.

Still, based on conversations with other regional VA offices, Wardle figures Utah has less of a homeless veteran problem than other states. The challenge in every state, however, is connecting veterans with benefits.

Schow said Utah is below the national average for the percentage of veterans who apply for monetary or health care benefits through the VA.

Utah veterans who want more information on state and federal benefits are asked to call toll free 800-827-1000.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com