Starlite Lounge to host Awareness Tours concert

Homelessness among Veterans is on the decline, and efforts like the one this month at Starlite Lounge in Glendale are helping in many ways.

The bar, at 4346 W. Olive Ave., will host four bands for a night of loud music to benefit The Awareness Tours, which supports homeless Veterans. The music starts 7 p.m. Saturday, July 13.

Lovedrive, Ironkill, Black Water Lake, and 2 In The Chest will be plugging in for The Awareness Tours event, which was conceived to raise money to build and maintain self-sustainable communities for our homeless Veterans and immediate families by touring the U.S. to provide various types of entertainment and donations. Hundreds of musicians perform as many as 30 to 40 shows a week across the country on behalf of The Awareness Tours, which is based in Arizona.

The Arizona Band 2 In The Chest, which bills itself as the “World’s Only Rustic Outlaw Southern Hard Rock Band,” has dedicated every performance they do to The Awareness Tours. 2 In The Chest is made up of a 51-year-old father of twins, a 40-year-old mother of those twins, a 67-year-old retired Navy man, and a 27-year-old man.

The good news for the cause is that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports data that show the number of homeless veterans in Arizona fell for the third consecutive year in 2018. There were an estimated 893 homeless veterans in Arizona, which is the lowest figure in the state since 2014.

Trends show the same thing nationwide.

HUD estimates that 37,878 Veterans experienced homelessness in January 2018, compared with 40,020 reported in January 2017.

For more information on the effort visit theawarenesstours.org .

IF YOU GO

What: The Awareness Tours benefit concert

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 13

Where: Starlite Lounge, 4346 W. Olive Ave., Glendale

More Information: theawarenesstours.org