Persuasive Essay On Homeless Veterans

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.

Throughout history, many veterans suffer after fighting in wars, and millions of veterans have been killed or injured. Veterans do not necessarily get the treatments they deserve without paying a price. Taking care of veterans costs a lot and health care is needed for them. They need health care after serving, in order to treat their problems and injuries. Jobs are also important to veterans because they are jobless after fighting in wars, which leads them to be homeless. It is important for people who need help to get help. As of right now, the government has attempted to help veterans, but it may not be enough.

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 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

“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.

An issue that has been around for decades which still remains in the United Sates today is homelessness among veterans. Vanessa Turner has a story that needs to be heard by many. As a homeless veteran, Turner joined the U.S. military in 1997 and later, proudly advanced to the rank of a sergeant. In 2003, Turner suffered from a traumatic injury while serving in Iraq. In suffocating 130-degrees fahrenheit heat, Turner fell into a coma and nearly died of heart failure. Immediately, she was brought to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., treated, and released with a pending medical discharge. After Turner’s release, both her and her daughter had no residency and no permanent health care plan. In attempt to make a stable living to sustain herself and her daughter, they often temporarily moved between family to friends’ apartments, never actually having a place to call home. In an effort to receive help from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center was very frustrating; she was told she had to wait months simply to get medical attention. Again when Turner requested for her belongings to be shipped back from her unit’s base in Germany, they told her she had to obtain transportation to Germany at her own expense, which she was unable to do because of the amount of money that it would cost, unfortunately resulting in not getting her property back. Vanessa Turner is just one of many homeless veterans who are

The United States of America rests on the shoulders of our brave men and women. It is unfortunate that once a soldier returns home, he or she has the strong likelihood that a roof, four walls, and a job will not be waiting. It is the responsibility of the people of this great nation to provide the support that these veterans need to survive in this world; they would help us survive in theirs. If goals are put in place and there is enough effort and power backing up the motor of these goals, then accomplishing an end to veteran homelessness will occur. This paper will examine the causes of veteran homelessness and how to cease and prevent veteran homelessness from happening and reoccurring.

In addition, thousands of veterans face numerous hardships due to the difficulties of acclimating to civilian life. Currently, veterans account for 11% of the homeless population. Consequently, programs like the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) aim to lobby for increased legislation and programs to combat homelessness. According to NCHV, the best strategies for resolving this epidemic is through nonprofit philanthropic groups. However, community service and moral support won’t fully eradicate homelessness. As such, increased pension benefits and VA support could help provide the assets required to acquire a residence. Overall, veteran homelessness can be reduced by increased community and government

Many of the homeless population are living with disabling conditions that are referred to indirectly as “the unsheltered” or “the forgotten”. Most of these men and women were faced with substantial economic and moral dimensions of homelessness and many of these men and women that are homeless once defended our country. Many of these veterans are more at risk of facing homelessness than any other adults. A study in this article showed that not all of this is connected to military service, but war and combat trauma or PTSD has contributed to depression, unhealthy relationships, substance use, and unemployment which could all stem to homelessness. This article is relevant to The Union Mission because there are so many homeless veterans who obtain shelter and other services through them. The article provides information on models that could be effect with working with veterans whom are

In addition, the veterans that risk their life for the American system make up a certain percentage of homeless people. According to The Department of Housing and Urban Development, “there were 57,849 homeless veterans on a single night in January 2013. Sixty percent were located in shelters or transitional housing programs, and 40 percent were in unsheltered locations. Just under 8 percent (4,456) were female“(Cortes et al., 2013). Many of them travel to serve and protect and come back to nothing, but the streets. While there are

Another solution to help end the homelessness crises in our Veterans is to make sure they are transitioned into meaningful, sustainable employment. Research has shown one of the risk factors for homelessness are lack of support and they experience social isolation after discharge. Programs need to be implemented though the Veterans Administration that implements a program for all returning Veterans that would help them integrate successfully into the main-stream

For many decades now, many brave men and women have joined the military in order to serve the country and protect the rights that are entitled to the American populace. However, when they return back to the states, some soldiers are not able to the cope between the drastic differences between military life and civilian life; as a result, they can be homeless veterans living on the streets. The average citizens consider these veterans as just bums and consider them through the mindset of “out of sight, out of mind”. Meanwhile, municipalities are acting no better as they enact rules that discriminate against the homeless, including laws prohibiting public loitering, panhandling, and squatting. It appears that the public and the government clearly do not do much in terms of helping those that may need assistance, especially former soldiers that fought to protect them. While there are several factors that can affect servicemen into becoming homeless, the knowledge of the factors can be utilized appropriately by the citizens and officials to properly treat these heroes and return them to housed, civilized lives instead of just shunning them.