Study: 1 Out of 4 Homeless Are Veterans
November 7th, 2007 . by TexasFredWASHINGTON (AP) - Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.
And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.
The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars and says 400 of them have participated in its programs specifically targeting homelessness.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a public education nonprofit, based the findings of its report on numbers from Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau. 2005 data estimated that 194,254 homeless people out of 744,313 on any given night were veterans.
Full Story Here:
Study: 1 Out of 4 Homeless Are Veterans
This is a first for me, I don’t even know where to start with this one, I have a HUGE problem with believing that this can be a reality in America…
25% of the homeless in America are her Veterans, and that number just astounds me, I’m not disputing the figures or saying that the V.A. has it wrong, I am just stunned BY that number, I realize that not everyone comes away from their military experience with marketable job skills, but they DO come away with some really great educational benefits and they only have to be willing to pursue those benefits…
I also realize that many come away with mental and emotional scars that, in many cases, may not reveal themselves for years, but according to this story there is already an alarmingly high number of YOUNG Vets showing up at shelters, and for the life of me, I do NOT understand why this trend exists, but if these Vets need mental health help, treatment because of combat related incidents that are still alive in their minds, PTSD, by ALL means, we MUST get them that much needed help, as long as they are truly suffering and their claims are legitimate…
In my life I have known and/or worked with Vets from several different wars, WWII, Korea, all phases of Vietnam, several other minor conflicts in the past years as well as Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan Vets, maybe I have been lucky, maybe I saw the creme of the crop, maybe I’m naive and just think that everyone is going to pursue the avenues open to them to advance their lot in life, but all the Vets that I have known have made at least reasonably moderate successes of themselves and their lives, some have gone on to greatness, some have become leaders of the industrial world and the world of finance, some are doctors, lawyers, business professionals, fire fighters, police officers, you name it, if it’s a self employed entrepreneur, a company or business leader, a loyal employee, whatever the case may be, we have U.S. VETERANS leading the way, maybe that’s why I have a problem grasping the cold reality of this story and getting my head around there being that many homeless Vets…
To the V.A., if they are REAL Vets, no matter what war they served in, and if they truly need and want help, give it to them, if they’re found to be fakes or bums trying to get over on the system, let them suffer in whatever misery it is that befalls them…
In so many cases, our Veterans have gone above and beyond the call of duty for this nation, and they deserve the very best we have to offer in return, don’t let a Veteran sleep in a shelter or under a bridge on a street somewhere, isolate the problems and address them, and IF there is a solution, provide it to these men and women, they earned it!
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All I can say is that I know for fact that some of these guys don’t want to live any other way. As a Police Officer, I have dealt with many Homeless People who identify themselves as Veterans and they think that the best thing for them is the streets. I know it’s a sad fact that a man that puts his life on the line for his Country lives on the streets but, that is part of life. I hate to say it like that but it’s the truth. Alot of these guys leave home for simple reasons and feel that they can’t go back. Some eventually return home and others don’t make the attempt. Anyway you look at it, these guys deserve better but, sometimes you can’t understand why they do what they do. Like it’s been said before, “You can lead a Horse to water but, you can’t make him drink”. I knew there were alot of Homeless Vets outhere, but I never realized it was that many. God Bless them. God Bless America.
I was recently in a VA center for a job interview. A gentleman came in requesting information in order to get a veteran off the streets. The VA reps had no clue as to what to do or what was available to this individual.
What I see from the VA is such a sense of apathy. Not a single person got up out of their seat! I would have been out of that damn office and trying to do something a little more proactive. We have such a lazy system in place that it is no wonder that nothing gets fixed. What the VA needs is an influx of new blood that includes veterans of recent wars. I am in the process of contacting my congressman in order to discuss the shortcomings of our VA system.
Good post Fred and right on the money. Ssg Deron is correct too. The help is there for the Vets and has always been. The government and Vets orginizations like the VFW and Legion are always reaching out to Vets. They have people who will help them get their benefits and they will give them a hand in getting their lives back together but they have to want it.
Every GI leaving the military possess skills that their civilian counterparts don’t. For one, they are disciplined and know how to take and give orders. Everyone from the lowly private to the 4-star general is taught to think for themselves and once a person makes E-4, they’re taught leadership and supervisory responsibilities.
Their always those who truly need help, especially in the mental area. The military tries hard to identify these folks and get them the necessary help. Unfortunately we can’t identify them all because, in truth, it’s hard. I once worked with one of the sharpest NCO’s I’ve ever encountered. He was the epitome of professionalism until the day he robbed a store and then committed suicide in his garage. I could have saw others in the unit doing that but never him.
It doesn’t surprise me, I worked for the country EMS and these homeless veterans were a lot of our calls.
PTSD doesn’t mean you’re t-totally nuts, it can be awarded in various level of percentages, aka the VA board rating system for a veterans particular illness and it’s severity.
I have it, and I’m not homeless, in fact I can be self suffient and raising a daughter. Teenage at that.
Heres the thing, these guys know there’s help. The VA isnt going to turn them down unless they were dishonorably discharged. I wonder how many of this statistic simply don’t qualify?
I also know of homeless vets that do get a check, they drink it away and do not attend counseling. Those I have no sympathy for period. Not if they refuse treatment which is often the case and this statistic is too high for vets that are truly down on their luck vs those that choose to live that way.
IMO, many of the homeless Vets are in that condition because they aren’t in the military any more for what ever reason. And no I don’t mean that like it sounds. I’ve known/know many Vets that for them the military was the end all be all of all that they’ve done or every will do. In other words being in the military was/is what they are cut out to do. Once their service in the military is over for what ever reason, its pretty much over for them as far a a career goes.
Again IMO, some people we just suppose to be military people and when that’s no longer possible, they don’t care to do anything else. I don’t think this is a ‘fixable’ problem as long as the people you want to fix don’t want to be fixed.
Some of this may be due to post combat stress, however who is to say that if a person is a homeless Vet today that barring military service he still would not be a homeless non-Vet today.
As another officer, I can unequivocally state that SSG Deron is ABSOLUTELY correct. Many actively CHOOSE and WANT that life, and will FIGHT YOU to keep that style. You have to keep in mind that, at least in the major urban area in which I work, the jobs of the Homeless Pimps DEPEND on keeping the homeless homeless. And I am not yet ready to swallow that Kool Aid statistic. From my current view, that does not apply. Gunz is also correct insofar as there are TONS and TONS of services available not just for the veteran homeless but homeless in general. But as with other aspects of life, you have to WANT to change or move or displace paradigms. And I am still not quite buying that statistic. It just doesn’t validate my experience.
BZ
While One homeless vet is one too many; the numbers aren’t that big (in the ’scheme’ of things).
http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/2007/11/08/homeless-vets-scare/#more-2258
Don has the numbers and the scoop.