How To Help Homeless Veterans

Homeless U.S. veterans is a reccurring issue as veterans return home from war with haunting memories which cause PTSD and other mental conditions. James V. Carroll, an assistant editor at American Legion Magazine, reports that “45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and, with considerable overlap, slightly more than 70 percent are addicted to drugs or alcohol (Carroll 8). War is a brutal experience and almost half of the veterans return with mental illnesses which leads to substance abuse and pushes them into

INTRODUCTION: How many people have a Veteran in their family or know one? If yes do you help them or is it someone else’s problem. Well many people think it’s someone else problem, but the truth is it’s our problem.

State and federal legislators both need to make it a priority to be involved in the welfare of veterans. The issues will never get better unless the individuals in charge of the laws, regulations, funding and departments step up to the challenges. That alone will not even be enough. These issues need to be addressed on a state level as well. Housing projects and professional training need to be made more widely available. Understanding the importance of both changes made at a state and federal level for the living conditions and health status of American veterans is the first step. The next step is that it must be acted on and improved. The United States of America owes that much to its

In today's society where opinion matters, people have been extremely vocal about the lack of support the government has provided to our veterans. Many feel as if the government should do more, while others feel as if they are doing enough. Everyone will have a difference of opinion no matter if they have severed in the military or not. No matter how one may feel, is extremely important to take care of our veterans. As they have sacrificed their lives, time, and family to protect our country. Contrary to one's belief, the government provides a substantial amount of programs, which support the veterans. Honestly more could be done. On any given day you could see women and men standing on the corner holding signs implying they are homeless veterans and will work for food. A few programs the government offers our veterans are funding for mental health services, The Wounded Warrior Project and Vocational Rehabilitation and Education, which will be discussed throughout this essay. When you research the programs, they make it sound as if all proceeds are going towards the best treatment and care money could buy.

The issue being addressed in this study is veteran’s rights, most notably homelessness and suicide rates. The subject of veteran’s rights overall is still being pursued. Along with the mindset of the American public, to the cases presented before Congress, this is an ongoing dilemma. Caring for our brothers and sisters in arms is the socially responsible thing to do. Ensuring the public is aware, and promoting campaigns to raise awareness, this is what the paper will touch on.

“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 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.

Homeless veterans population has been a problem over the decades but over the passed few years the population of homeless veterans has increased. This is a concerning problem that needs to be attended to and human services is one of the ways to seek help. Many veterans that are homeless is due to mental illnesses such post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), substance abuse (alcoholism and addiction), and depression. Veterans that are homeless usually have one or more issue that they are facing that is causing them to be homeless. Some veterans can be facing psychiatric, physical, and medical disorders at the same time, which is very common today (Goldstein, Luther, Haas, Appelt, & Gordon, 2010, p.312). Veterans that were deployed and fought

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

Thousands of men and women throughout the United States give up the security and safety of their home to defend the freedoms that Americans, just like myself, get to enjoy every day. These men and women endure hardships and tragedies that most of us could not imagine dealing with, and they do it selflessly. When they finally get to return home to the country that they fought so selflessly to protect, they are forgotten. Veterans all across America receive inadequate health care, are left to suffer from mental illness and end up homeless, and the government is not doing near enough to help them.There are countless flaws in the way that our veterans are taken care of when they return home, and

Homeless veterans have always been a problem. War creates veterans and not all of them have something to go back to. That being said, in modern-day America, a whopping 49,933 veterans are found to be homeless each night. That includes veterans that have fought in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, World War II, and the Korean War. And out of all of those veterans, roughly 9% of them are 18-30 years of age, and

The men and women who serve our country risk their lives every single day to protect their country and the people in it. Out of all sacrifices one could make, going to war to protect their country is the largest offering a human will ever be able to make. It is not of monetary value that these sacrifices are paid, but rather in blood. And if these soldiers are able to come home, treatment is less than mediocre. A census report shows, “There [is] 21.8 million veterans of the U.S. armed forces as of 2014” (Risen). With that large of a number of people to take care of, it is not always easy to help everyone. In continuation, only 8.3 million veterans are receiving veterans affairs benefits and care (“By the Numbers: Veterans”). The amount

Through all of challenges the Veterans face, the only thing that can make them better are the treatments they should receive. The decrease in money has created an issue for the Veteran Administration department officials. Veterans have faced many challenges receiving therapy and treatments. Citizens try their best to give the help the Veterans were promised. The government policies are making things worse by surrounding Veterans with negativity. Together we could make things better for the Veterans by giving them the help needed and keeping a positive attitude in their

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.