Operation Stand Down Central Texas breaks ground on facility in Copperas Cove

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

Operation Stand Down Central Texas has enlisted the services of Coyote Design and Build for the construction of its own facility to be located on Carpenter Street.

Coyote Design and Build broke ground and began construction on the site last week. The Copperas Cove city council approved an ordinance for the rezoning of the property back in January 2020.

Operation Stand Down Central Texas was founded by Joann Courtland and her mother, Trudy Bolton, in 2015. It started in the 500 square feet in Courtland’s garage, and it was “a few ladies with a dream of helping homeless veterans and their families in this community of Central Texas,” Courtland said.

Operation Stand Down Central Texas currently occupies a storefront in the Cove Terrace Shopping Center.

“With this being our seventh year of being OSDCT, this is a very big and emotional moment for our organization,” Courtland said. “We are now in 2,400 square feet and will be expanded to 4,500. While volunteers have come and gone, we have maintained our same mission and vision to help as many as we possibly can and to make Central Texas a better place to be. We have had our ups and downs like any other organization, but we are committed to continue as long as we are able to be out in the community helping those in need.”

The mission statement of Operation Stand Down Central Texas is “to assist the homeless veterans and their families in the surrounding Central Texas community.”

The organization provides immediate relief from the trauma and isolation of homelessness by creating an environment where basic necessities are provided, and participants can come together in a safe and relaxed atmosphere through the Stand Downs held twice a year.

These Stand Downs, held in the fall and spring, provide homeless veterans and other homeless persons with access to short-term resources and ensure that the participants have easy access to basic needs such as shelter, food, showers, clothing and haircuts. The Stand Downs also raise community awareness about homelessness in the Central Texas area.

Courtland said that the new facility will increase the space that the organization currently has now in its Cove Terrace Shopping Center location, which will allow for OSDCT to help more people in need.

“This will be doubling the space we have now, and that translates into so much more we can do for our community,” Courtland said. “I am looking forward to having our own place, something that is ours, and it means so very much to me and to the numerous volunteers that have been with us for many years.  Not to mention the additional space is a game changer for us. It will be able to be set up in a way that will maximize efficiency and allow us to continue to grow.”

The larger space will also allow OSDCT to expand the Community Access Point work they are currently doing with the Vet Center. Currently, a counselor comes every Thursday to meet with veterans and provide assistance to rural veterans in Copperas Cove, Kempner and Gatesville.

Courtland said she is hopeful that construction will be completed by September 2021.

For more information on OSDCT, visit www.osdct.org or find the organization on Facebook. OSDCT is presently preparing for its Spring Stand Down, to be held on Saturday, May 8, at the Killeen Community Center.