Gender And Homeless Veterans Essay

-The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with

The majority of homeless veterans have service connected disabilities that are a direct result of military service; this contributes to a high risk of homelessness among veterans. Unique military skills that are non-essential in the civilian sector, combat related health issues, fractured family relationships and the lack of affordable housing are other factors. Many of them lack a social support network and/or someone to assist them with getting assistance from the government. They may be unaware of the different services they require and are

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

Canton et. al. (2005) used a longitudinal study to determine the risk factors of homelessness. This study included four hundred and forty-four men and women (18-65 years old) who volunteered to be a part of the interview study. The participants were interviewed every six months for a total of eighteen months. During this time psychiatric assessments were performed, as well as analysis of coping skills, family and social history. Two methods, the Cox Regression and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis were used to examine homelessness duration and baseline

The purpose of the study was to learn more about the relationship between PTSD and homelessness with veterans, as well as the risk factors associated with both.

Thirteen percent of all of the homeless in the United States are reported to be veterans (Hoffler, Dekle & Sheets, 2014). Because of this issue veteran suicide rates are much higher than the general population as are the rates for veterans substance abuse (McCarl 2103). Behavioral health needs and housing are currently the two of the largest needs that are facing veterans at this time. The VA has housing programs and a large funding source though each VA may have differing program structures the VA itself is lacing in outreach programs and psychoeducational programs for homeless veterans. Also Homeless veterans themselves underutilize the services available to them. (Gabrielian, Yuan, Rubestein, Anderson, Gelberg 2013) This homeless veterans

Destitute veterans are a real social issue confronting our general public today. Vagrancy among United States veterans are of specific concern to the general public in light of the fact that everybody sees a percentage of the weights confronting vets after coming back to regular citizen life. Who are homeless veterans then? The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs

Karl Malantes explains in an emotional interview with CNN that, “When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn’t over for the veterans, or the family. It’s just starting” (“Veterans Quotes”) Homelessness for soldiers who are lucky enough to return home is a huge epidemic in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, they estimate about 50,000 veterans are currently homeless (“FAQ About Homelessness”). The official definition of homelessness states “an individual who lacks housing or that must reside in a private or public that provides accommodations” (“What is the Official Definition of Homelessness”). Veteran Homelessness is correlated with gender and race, it has a great amount of causes including

The growing number of homeless veterans in the city of Los Angeles is growing out control, this issue is a social phenomenon that affects every city across the country; small or large. It is important to understand that consequently, one way or another, this issue affects not only the homeless veteran, the city, state and government, but every citizen within each city. Bring forth more attention to the fact that additional resources are required; resources such as prevention programs, services, education and vocational training, affordable housing, and medical services. In the last few years, government officials have realized that the current services for veterans are inadequate or insufficient. The government realizes that with the end of both wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of homeless veteran will surely increase. Additionally let’s not forget that these are the men and women who put their own lives in danger to protect our freedom and our way of life. After all that, the least we can do is to ensure that they are provide with adequate post-war services and training in order to adequately transition from military to the civilian sector.

American homeless veterans are becoming more prevalent in the United States. Research will show that American veterans are an overrepresented population among the homeless in the U.S. A homeless veteran is an individual who lives on the streets, in abandoned buildings, vehicles, encampments, shelters, or transitional housing (Veterans Today, 2013). As a matter of fact, homeless veterans do not have a permanent residence under their control. Homelessness in general includes those who fit what Martha Burt, et al. (2004) called “street homeless”, which they defined as single adults who spend a lot of time on the streets; and the “chronically homeless”, which they defined as “being disabled and either continuously homeless for a year or more or having at least four homeless episodes during the last three years.”

This article paints a disproportionate picture regarding the Veteran population of having a significantly higher probability to be homeless than non-Veteran by exclaiming, “At one point in time in 2014, 36 % of homeless Veterans were unsheltered compared with 30 % of non-Veterans” (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 2016).

Researchers have found that the military service alone is associated with homelessness, but it may be associated with other factors that contribute to homelessness. According to Woolsey and Naumann (2015), the study proposed to seek and synthesize evidence from studies and reports related to homeless veterans, requested by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office, Chief Evaluation Office, and the Veterans’ Employment and training Services to be published by the end of 2014. With a central focus on identifying the risk factors for homelessness among veterans. Under those circumstances, the literature review encountered risk factors for homelessness among veterans, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, lack of access to stable housing and employment

The purpose of this study will be to describe the causes of homelessness among adult women veterans age 35-54. Post traumatic experiences can have an everlasting effect on women veterans integrating into society. The consequences are an unhealthy and unsafe lifestyle for the women veterans who raised their right hand to serve and protect. This problem is worth addressing because of the growing number of women joining the military service and then returning home after their contractual obligation is completed.

According to the latest statistics, military veterans account for 23% of the homeless population. In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 200,000 military Veterans could become homeless at any given time (from VA Dept. Web). This should be our concerns to prevent such latest prediction becoming one of the realities of our times. Moreover, a report from the VA Department of Housing and Urban Development reveals there are over 67,000 Veterans who struggle with