The Problem Of Homelessness Among 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.

Homeless veterans seem to be a defenseless population by definition, as they are a subgroup in the population that is likely to have health problems or worse health challenges because of exposure to risks unlike the rest of the population. Many research undertaken to differentiate health problems linked to homeless veterans. They are vulnerable to co-morbidity of abuse of substances, mental, physical health infections and disorders than the common homeless population. Their inability to get or refuse treatment worsens their exposure to complications.

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.

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

In the article entitled “The Shameful Way America Treats Its Veterans” written by Tessa Stuart, the author gives us insight as to what it is like for homeless veterans living in today's world and why that needs to be changed. Stuart also goes into detail about the plenty of veterans that are left just waiting long before they can actually receive the right amount of care.

Homelessness is a problem, but being a veteran and homeless is a bigger problem. How can we allow any of our veterans to be homeless? Veterans for years have fought to defend our nation while serving on active duty, but who’s fighting to defend their rights to be able to have walls and a roof over their head. Any given day there are homeless veterans that are sleeping under bridges, on park benches and in abandon houses. According to the article “Homeless Veterans and Their Service to America,” 47,725 veterans are homeless at any given time this estimated is based on numbers from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this article it talked about 12,700 veterans in the year of 2010 were homeless. The 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

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

Homelessness is the lack of acute housing or any form of accommodation, which have not only affected ordinary civilians, but has become a huge problem for the men and women who put their live on the line to protect the United States. Despite the endeavor made by the government, it has failed on it social, economic, and medical reform. There should take a more aggressive approach to spot resources to veterans experiencing homelessness; else the situation will continue to grow.

D. (2015). Identifying Homelessness among Veterans Using VA Administrative Data: Opportunities to Expand Detection Criteria. Plos ONE, 10(7), 1-14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132664 This article focuses on the U.S. Veterans and the issue with homelessness among that group. It explores and focuses on the group of VA that was hurt while serving and has come back with no way of getting a job or supporting themselves. This is interesting because the codes that VA uses to classify them can cause them to not be label correctly which would enable them to get benefits to help them get back on their feet.

Homelessness is a problem that affects many Americans, whether it is for a day or the rest of their lives. There are no cities in the United States that can shelter all of its homeless, and this is one of the main reasons that we cannot help them like we want to. Often times there are not enough housing for homeless people. Sometimes homeless people are arrested, though, and there they have a warm place to sleep, with the food that they need. The case may be that they did this on purpose because they are usually only arrested for minor infractions. There are many reasons for a person to be homeless, including being a veteran. A veteran is a man or woman who has served our country by fighting for our freedom, and most of the time they end up on the streets. This is not how they should end up, as they risked their lives for the country. When a soldier becomes a veteran, they have to live on what they were paid for fighting for our country. On average, a football player, who plays for one’s entertainment, gets paid more than a soldier. Often times this money is not enough for the veteran to live on, and they become homeless. There is a wide variety of veterans, and the older they are the harder it is for them to obtain a job. The youngest homeless veterans are in their 20s, whereas the oldest are from the Vietnam War. (Grand Rapids Business Journal) Economic problems though are often the root of homelessness in America. There are other factors including a high poverty