Poverty Among Veterans Essay

Two and a half million service men and women were deployed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When these service men and women come home from war, people usually visualize them getting a warm welcome and landing right back on their feet but this is not always the case. Many veterans suffer from PTSD and don’t get the help they need. Veterans are sometimes overlooked when politicians debate over current events and things that need to change. These veterans served their country but were living and dying on the street (Pearl 2). I chose the book “Veterans and Homelessness” by Libby Perl because it provided me with a statistics and a better understanding on the situation of veterans and homelessness.

More than a half million veterans in the United States are homeless at some time, and on any given night more than 300,000 are living on the streets or in shelters.

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.

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

The presence of additional risk for homelessness specifically associated with Veteran status is puzzling in that it occurs among a population that shows better outcomes on almost all socioeconomic measures and that has exclusive access to an extensive system of benefits that include comprehensive healthcare services, disability and pension assistance, and homeless services (Fargo, et al, 24).

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 America today, there are between 2.3 and 3.5 million people experiencing homelessness, and nearly one-quarter of all homeless adults have served in the armed forces. There are about 200,000 veterans experiencing homelessness on any given night. Considering that this number is so large, there should be several federal agencies helping, but there is not. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the only agency that works to resolve the issue of homeless veterans.

The Homeless Veteran Housing Program was created to bypass group homes and work towards finding veterans safe and stable homes that they can restart their lives. The program will initially be implemented at Veteran Rehabilitation, initially the Greensboro Servant Center, in the Piedmont Triad area in North Carolina. As veteran homelessness is not only a problem in North Carolina, the program is planned to expand nationwide after implementation and

In the U.S about 11 percent of the adult homeless population are veterans. Accoring to National Coalition for Homeless Vetrans "most veterans are single, live in urban areas, and suffer from mental illness,alchol and or substance abuse, or co-occuring disorders. " Very ofter veterans are considered high risk due for being homeless due to all of the poverty and mental health issues that the vetrans go through. Many vetrans are also homeless due to "extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and acess to health care, a large number

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.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing services to 8.9 million Veterans each year (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). A significant amount of these Veterans are considered homeless or at risk for homelessness. Homelessness is a complex problem whose solution requires more than simply a roof and a bed. Sadly, along with homelessness, a great portion of homeless Veterans struggle with many other issues regarding their physical and mental health, as well as substance abuse issues. Although, during the last decade, the Department of Veterans Affairs has made great strides in improving policy for processes and procedures to ensure that these Veterans receive

“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

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.

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

Also, basic food allowance is not enough to support these veterans and their families with regards to the changing economy. These allowances, however, depends on the individual geographical location, pay grade and dependency status, still thus making these veterans not to meet up with their day to day expenses. Meanwhile according to Ho who said “federal officials are working with local agencies to emphasize the need for more affordable housing, putting a bigger emphasis on transitional and low-cost units over expensive single-family homes”