Arguments Against Homeless Veterans

One of the key factors that contribute to homelessness among veterans is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD affects a large number of military veterans from every war, though the rates differ depending on which war they served in, PTSD affected 30% of Vietnam veterans, 11% of Afghanistan veterans, 20% of Iraq veterans, and 10% of veterans who served in the Gulf War (How Common is PTSD). Half of veterans with PTSD do not receive the treatment they require and 20% - 50% of those who do receive treatment do not finish it (Robson). The lack of treatment is important considering that 45% of homeless veterans have some kind of mental illness (Paquette). The homecoming of a veteran has been related to that veteran’s degree of PTSD. Veterans with a negative reception upon their arrival tend to have harsher PTSD (Tull). It is no wonder then that, those who had the hardest time re-entering society, Vietnam veterans, among whom 30% have had PTSD, make up 47% of homeless veterans (coalition for the Homeless). These veterans had the hardest time out of any, when they returned public opinion was against them, and many were unjustly called “Baby Killers”. This critical rejection made it harder for Vietnam veterans to deal with their PTSD, because it held them back from discussing their experiences in war (Tull). Having

About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at-risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

“It’s like the path of least resistance... After a while, your self esteem gets really low and you don’t feel competitive any longer… Like you are already defeated.” (Applewhite ¶ 17). A quote from a homeless veteran shows how even though he has tried to relieve himself of the homelessness, it does not always end with the outcome that he wants, which leaves him feeling defeated, as well as thousands of others. About ⅓ of the homeless population are veterans, and they are usually the ones that need the most help (VA Expands Partnerships ¶5). The struggle that homeless veterans face everyday in the United States is a growing problem that needs to be fixed because it will continue to get worse. The healthy and productive success of

Imagine one making a huge decision to leave family, friends, and a familiar lifestyle to go serve and protect their country for months or years at a time. Imagine one risking their life and putting forth their time just to come back to no home, money, or health care while have developed a mental illness. The government promises all of these benefits one may never see and they end up on the streets without a home finding ways to cope which may lead to addiction. A study shows that “There are estimated to be about 50,000 homeless veterans on any given night with about 1.4 million others at risk of becoming homeless, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans said, citing government statistics” (Shaw). Many of America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, and many other wars. Nearly half of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era. Two-thirds served their country for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone. Homeless veterans all across America come from different backgrounds and homelessness does not discriminate against gender. These veterans, including males and females, suffer from homelessness due to: being unemployable; suffering economic hardships; battling substance abuse, and lacking proper legal aid. Yes, there are plenty of resources out there to assist the homeless veterans that may help some but there are still too many veterans living on the streets.

In spite of having many advantages, veterans over-represent in the homeless population. The question “Why?” begs an answer. Forty years have passed since the Vietnam Conflict ended and homeless veterans became a representative image in American society. Surprisingly, it appears there are no studies on the factors contributing

According to the 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report released by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an estimated 62,619 veterans were homeless on any given night in 2012. The good news is that the estimate represents a 7.2 percent decline from the 2011 estimate and a 17.2 percent decline compared to the 2009 estimate ("Veterans," 2013). Although progress is being made, there is much to be done. There are veterans with the same needs as the general homeless population, but also veterans with severe physical and mental health disabilities, related to their service, that necessitate permanent housing with supportive services.

In Texas today there about 16,000 homeless veterans. Veterans who previously put their lives on the line for this country, veterans who, at the very least, deserve a bed to sleep on at night. This is not only an issue that needs to be addressed in Texas, but also an issue that should be a top priority. Because Texas has the third largest population of homeless veterans, we should be doing more to help those who served in combat and are now living on the streets.

1. A social problem that personally resonates with are veterans that are homeless. This is personally important to me because I am a big believer that if someone goes to protect our country that the country should welcome theses veterans back with open arms to unsure they can adjust back to normal life. To help myself better understand the situation that many homeless veterans face I did a quick google search on the topic. After looking at http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/homeless-veterans-facts/2015/06/17/id/651036/ I learned that PTSD is a huge reason why many veterans end up homeless. They are not homeless because they don't care but rather because they are not able to hold a job due to this disorder.

Upon first inspection it would appear that there are more resources for homeless veterans in Marion County than there actually are. Throughout my research I found that, as of right now, there only seem to be governmental organizations that solely help homeless veterans. Some of these organizations are the Salem Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), which is part of the VA Portland Health Care System, and the Salem Vet Center. This shows a severe lack of assistance resources solely for our veterans within Marion County.

Honestly, if y'all really cared about the lives of our soldiers then you would be posting about the fact that our government could care less about them when they return from fighting their wars. You would be posting about the ridiculous number of homeless veterans suffering from PTSD and many other issues who aren't receiving proper care. You would be posting about the politicians who voted against bills meant to provide more benefits to returning soldiers etc etc. Not some guy exercising his first amendment rights to speak out against other real issues in

Every year the United States of America send a total number of 22.7 million men and women over the age of 17 overseas to fight for the protection of the country (Veteran Affairs, www.va.gov). That is 22.7 million sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, and other extended family members. When their service is complete many of these war veterans return home to their families, but some have no families to return too. On any given night, there are over 107 thousand veterans sleeping homeless on the streets of America; hungry, thirsty and without shelter (Veteran Affairs, www.va.gov). That is not say that the men and women who have families are safe from homelessness. A majority of the homeless veteran population comes from people who

Moreover, in most communities, especially the cities, these veterans who are in their 20s and 30s are found loitering around church buildings, shopping centers, and under the bridges due to the fact that they don’t have anywhere to stay, someone’s, you see them around traffic light signers on the street with placard written on, homeless veterans Vietnam war begging for money or food. This is a big disgrace to the United States at large, and has creates a huge problem since the government has been relentless to intervene to the crisis. However, according to the National coalition for homeless Veterans,

The failure of the United States government to sufficiently care for their men and women in the military can be seen in the number of homeless veterans. In fact, the U.S. Housing and Urban development (H.U.D.) reports there are over 39,000 members of the armed services living on the street (2016). The main causes of vagrancy among veterans include lack of housing, jobs, and access to health care (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, n.d.). Men and women ex-soldiers run a higher risk of becoming homeless if they are: suffering from a mental illness or substance abuse problem; lack support systems; or are disabled (Ainslie & Cooper, 2016).

Because of this we are also forgetting about all of the actually Veterans. In the world now there are around 50 thousand homeless Veterans. There are also about 1.4 million who are at risk for becoming homeless (Who are homeless Veterans). Each year there are more and more homeless Vets, and what makes it even harder for most is the fact that they suffer from mental health problems such as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) (PTSD: National Center for PTSD). This disorder is very serious and can be extremely dangerous for not only the Vet but the civilians around them if left untreated, which is difficult when you are not receiving support from anyone.

There are many key predisposing factors that influence homeless veteran’s poor choice of diet that is associated with diabetes. As an illustration, studies have confirmed that homeless veteran’s attitude about diabetes (e.g., 40.7% agree or strongly agree that people who do not need to take insulin to treat their diabetes have a mild disease) have a significant impact on their choice of diet and self-management behaviors of diabetes (Rojas-Guyler et al., 2014). Similarly, a study conducted by Rojas-Guyler et al. (2014) shows that misunderstanding about diabetes and its severity creates a gap in health knowledge and understanding about diabetes and its development. With this in mind, homeless veterans who have a lack of awareness regarding medications