Martincic and Maxim were among more than 200 homeless and disabled veterans and non-veterans at Wednesday’s fifth annual Capital Area Stand Down for Homeless Veterans in downtown Lansing.

Attendees were provided with several free services including medical aid, haircuts and food on the lawn of the Michigan Hall of Justice.

“We’re not all drunks or drug addicts,” Martincic said. “You get in certain situations in your life where you have to start over, and if you don’t have a family or support, it’s kind of hard.”

In a given year, there are 3,200 homeless people in Lansing, said Patrick Patterson, vice president of operations in Lansing for Volunteers of America. On average, one in four of the homeless are veterans, he said.

“Homelessness is a complex problem,” Patterson said. “It represents a failure on our part to take care of our obligation to those who served.”

Last week, David Lloyde Melvin, a homeless man, was murdered in a five-acre lot behind a Volunteers of America building near downtown Lansing. A homeless couple have been charged in connection with his death.

Patterson said clients and staff are still mourning the death of a man that many knew personally.

“Nobody likes to lose someone, although frankly it’s not that surprising,” Patterson said. “The streets are very dangerous.”

Michigan State police Officer Ed Barrett said the event brought awareness of the severity of homelessness to the residents of Lansing.

“It makes the city of Lansing understand the homeless population and that most of them are veterans,” he said.

For veterans, the risk of homelessness is especially high, Barrett said.

“People get out of the military and don’t know what to do with their lives,” Barrett said. “They end up getting in a jam and end up being homeless.”

Volunteers of America is currently working on expanding its services into Metro Detroit and possibly Kalamazoo.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported in September that there are as many as 196,000 homeless veterans in the country.

East Lansing police Lt. Kevin Daley said students in the East Lansing area treat the homeless population with respect.

“The students are generous in providing shelter and money,” Daley said. “They are not harassed or bothered.”

Last year, a city ordinance was passed prohibiting individuals from loitering in parking structures, but Daley said they do not generally have to take legal actions against the homeless in the area.

“A lot of them are here just to pick up the bottles, make some money, and go on their way,” he said.