Battling Homelessness in Veterans

When we think of veterans, we think of men and women who have, through the ages, fought vicious battles for American freedoms. They have entered into territory unknown and risked their lives to keep our country safe. We owe much gratitude for those that have fought, are fighting and will fight for the interests of America. The image that most of us see is that our country honors veterans they protects and provides for the courageous men and women of the military. While a certain amount of honoring and provision is made for veterans, there are many that slip through the cracks and fall into desperation, living very dark and lonely lives.

 

The Numbers

Veterans make up only 11% of the total American population, yet one in four homeless adults is a veteran. This problem does not just plague the middle-aged veterans but more and more younger veterans are frequenting soup kitchens and shelters across our country including those that have fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. On any given night, over 68,000 veterans are homeless. Of these, over 14,000 have been homeless for at least a year or more and suffer from one or more chronic health conditions. These are staggering statistics especially considering that these men and women went to battle for our country and now have nowhere to lay their head.

 

Why are Veterans Homeless?

What happens when veterans, armed for battle, put down their guns and return home? For many, the battle continues, in their mind. They cannot fully escape the battleground long enough to get their footing. Visions of war, death, and despair haunt their every move and rob veterans, young and old of a normalcy they once had. Veterans may have a difficult time integrating back into society, being parents or husbands and wives. Many slip through the crack of well-intentioned programs aimed at providing services to veterans, only to become yet another street statistic. Still other veterans develop serious mental health issues that render them unable to cope with everyday life or hold down a job.

 

Community Outreach

Identifying and helping homeless veterans in communities is a must. Much effort is required to assess the health of homeless veterans and hook them up with services and support. Without active intervention and coordination of social service programs, the plight of homelessness amongst veterans will continue. Outreach is the first step, as many homeless veterans will not seek out help for themselves. Communities should be action oriented, and some are already embracing and taking the initiative to address the needs of homeless veterans in their cities, towns and rural areas.

 

Celebrate Progress and Forge Ahead

Much has been done already to end homelessness amongst veterans. In fact, over the past several years the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development has worked extremely hard to cut the number of homeless veterans in shelters by two-thirds on any given night. This is indeed progress, but more work is still to be done.

 

About the Author: Susan Patterson is a freelance writer with an avid interest in the problem of homelessness. She recently wrote a article outlining the usefulness of social services software.