Discharged Veterans

Many veterans that have served this country have ended up homeless or in poverty.

This nation has struggled with getting a handle of this problem and putting adequate supports in place to resolve the problem. Veterans need to have the right supports in place to prevent this. The veterans’ services need to be comprehensive supports, and in place as soon as a soldier transitions to civilian life. Discharged veterans need more specific and efficient non-criteria based services including transitional services, higher education and homelessness prevention.

One way to help veterans transition successfully to civilian life is by having specific and efficient non-criteria based transitional services. For instance, when a vet has been discharged, they

Another key fact is once the veteran has been discharged a counselor should be on standby to point them in the right direction of all available services and supports; especially for those experiencing lengthy transitions (Robertson, 2013). Thus, supporting that counselors need to be assigned before being discharged. Many veterans exit the military with complex needs as a result from serving in the military. Furthermore, their lives becoming even more complex as they cope with the process of transitioning to civilian life. This equally supports that a counselor is extremely necessary and should be automatically available to all discharged veterans. Another fact noted is, the U.S’s current economic status consists of many vets needing longer supports and services from counselors that extend beyond traditional periods. In addition, the military offers a Transition Assistance program that focuses on post separation, employment search, training, along with financial planning. Despite the availability of this program,

The crisis of homelessness among veterans has attracted the attention of political and economic officials for over 25 years (Thomas & Bridier, 2013). The homeless population in the U.S is 7% and it is estimated that a staggering 13 % of that population represents homeless veterans (Thomas & Bridier, 2013). Even though we know it exist, there remains a need to evaluate why homelessness is increasing? It is equally important to note that many veterans are slipping through the cracks because they don’t meet the imposed criteria of being homeless, given that they do not have prior addiction issues nor service related physical or behavioral issues to be eligible for emergency housing (Thomas & Bridier, 2013). Since 1993, there is a group called CHALENG (Community Homeless Assessment Local Education and Networking Groups), which is a government mandated program that was formed to join the forces with the VA and community agencies. Their goal was to unify and facilitate services for homeless veterans. It was ineffective due to the government not taking the necessary steps to understand the issues and individualistic needs of homeless veterans. The issues were in the areas of mental health, education, and employment services (Thomas & Bridier, 2013). Moreover, the Obama administrations came up with the initiative to end