Melvin Rosser, a U.S. Army veteran, worked the same job at AFG Industries in Bridgeport, W.Va., for 23 years.

Then he fell and broke his back. He developed a drug habit, and then there were marital problems.

And before he knew it, Mr. Rosser, 49, became homeless.

For a while, he stayed with his daughter and her family but when he continued to party in her home, she tearfully threw him out.

He finally got help through the Veterans Administration, and later the Veterans Leadership Program.

He's been clean for 17 months.

Yesterday, Mr. Rosser attended Stand Down 2008, a service fair held at Shepherd's Heart Church on Pride Street, Uptown. The program offered a number of services for homeless or in-need veterans, including medical, dental and eye care; meals, showers and even haircuts.

There were also representatives from Allegheny County, signing people up for veterans' benefits and other services.

Al Mercer, executive director of the Veterans Leadership Program of Western PA Inc., helped to organize the Stand Down -- the first one in Pittsburgh since 1995.

At the Stand Down in 1995, a total of 338 veterans showed up over a three-day period. Yesterday, there had been more than 120 by noon, Mr. Mercer said.

"There are just too many veterans that need help, and it's unacceptable to me," he said.

The latest estimate of homeless veterans in Allegheny County was about 1,000, Mr. Mercer said.

The majority of homeless veterans in the United States are from the Vietnam era, he said. But vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing similar problems -- difficulty adjusting, substance abuse and mental health problems, he noted.

Among the 100 volunteers working at yesterday's event was James Stokely. Not too long ago, he was a homeless veteran.

He became homeless in 2000, he said, after he became addicted to crack cocaine. He spent six years living, "here, there and everywhere."

The turning point for him, Mr. Stokely said, was when he got arrested for robbing a bank.

He was prosecuted in state court, and the judge gave him a break, said Mr. Stokely, 49. He spent a year in the Allegheny Count Jail and will serve 15 years' probation.

He went to the Veterans Leadership Program for help in November.

Since then, workers there helped him find a house to rent in Shadyside, and he has been drug free for 22 months.

The people at the program encourage him, conduct regular home visits and are helping him find employment after he was laid off last week.

"To this day, I'm blessed," Mr. Stokely said. "When I go home, I still can't believe it. It looks like a place on Cape Cod. It's beautiful, quiet, serene."

No one at the Veterans Leadership Program asked Mr. Stokely to volunteer at the Stand Down. He spent the morning filling 200 bags with personal hygiene items, passing out T-shirts, underwear and socks, and serving garbage detail.

"Whatever I can do," Mr. Stokely said. "I'm here to help because they did so much for me."

Mr. Rosser, who took advantage of the eye and dental care at the Stand Down, has been working with the VA to get back on track.

He now has a home and a job beginning Sept. 2 at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System at University Drive in the canteen.

Mr. Rosser also plans to attend classes at night to become an occupational therapy assistant.

He's one of the success stories.

"There's no more important, meaningful and purposeful work than serving our veterans," Mr. Mercer said. "We need them. We owe them."