I chose this topic because there seems to be a growing epidemic of homeless veterans in our country. This is very sad when you think of how those men and women voluntarily signed up to serve. There are so many Americans that live by the slogan “Land of the Free because of the Brave” yet, you have so many brave men and women eating out of garbage cans and sleeping under bridges. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans there are several factors that contributed to displacement of veterans such as shortage of affordable housing, low income, and inadequately healthcare. As well as the lack of family and social support not to mention the returning home wounded veterans suffering with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression
Our Warriors Today there is an outrage in our Veteran community of how terrible the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and their lack of caring and funding for our heroes. In this paper I will give facts on how terrible this problem really is, whether it is our homeless Veterans, Veterans who die waiting for help from the VA because they cannot afford other healthcare, or the horrid waiting times in order to get any help.
The elderly homeless population in the United States have services in place. As mention previously, this population are at a greater disadvantages from the norm because of their living condition and limit services. According to some studies previously done, there is a specific age group that is in more disadvantages of services because they do not meet the federal or state qualification guidelines for services.
Homeless veterans need more help After all the things that homeless veterans have done for this country, they need more help. Many times, veterans will be seriously injured while in service. Whether it’s a physical or mental injury, they are serious.
Many people around the world are homeless and majority of them are homeless veterans that served in wars like the vietnam war. The age range for veterans are usually in their 50 and 60’s and the numbers are increasing rapidly. In 2016 january ,communities in america identified 39,471 homeless veterans during the point in time.
Introduction The exercise to establish the number of homeless people in the United States is of critical significance. Homelessness poses immense challenges to efforts aimed at controlling infectious diseases and renders the homeless at immense risk of serious mental and physical health effects. This subject is particularly becomes sensitive on considering the significant number of homeless veterans in the US. Especially in the recent past, homelessness has emerged as a costly problem.
The Effect of Poor Health and Unemployment On Homelessness Among Veterans According to the Homeless Research Institute, veterans compose more of the homeless population than they do the civilian population, formulating only 11% of civilian life compared to 26% of homeless population (Veterans Inc.). Although not all veterans wear camouflage, all face similar struggles upon returning to civilian life. Unfortunately as they return to civilian life their needs hinder. As a result, veterans face a future of poverty, illness, and above all, homelessness.
“Only 28.5 percent of Americans with identifiable mental illness seek services annually,” and of those 28.5% only 11% were receiving the necessary medication (Rosenheck). The veteran population is more likely to experience traumatic brain injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which are one of the most substantial risk factors for homelessness (Fact Sheet: Veteran Homelessness). Not only are many non-veterans not seeking medical treatment for their mental illnesses, but many veterans as well are also not seeking the same treatment. This is apparent since there are 50% of homeless veterans who have a serious mental illness, which is not including those who have a mental illness that is not as apparent or life altering. Likewise, there are also 51% of homeless veterans living with a variety of disabilities, and 70% of
Homelessness can be a detrimental experience as a result of being exposed to constant stress and unpredictable weather. It may lead to families and individuals having to find a temporary refuge in an unsafe environment, or obtain food from resources that can be harmful. Individuals and families caught in these predicaments frequently are ineptitude in areas of housing stability, managing money skills, coping skills, and support systems which would be significant in helping them modify hardships. As a result, a vast proportion of homeless families, individuals, and children have been exposed to a variety of traumatic occurrences such as childhood abuse, domestic violence, combat-related trauma, sexual assault, and the like.
Program Description HUD-VASH is a joint program between the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Veteran Affairs (VA) (Homeless Veterans). HUD provides Homeless Veterans with a Housing Choice Voucher Program, known as Section 8 Housing (Homeless Veterans). While the VA assists with case management and clinical services for veterans. The VA provides these services to participating Veterans at VA medical centers and community-based outreach services.
One of the main causes of homeless veterans is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD. “ is a medical problem where
Veterans with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) have a high risk of becoming homeless. Homelessness is cause by drug and alcohol dependencies, the economy and veterans who suffers from PTSD or other forms of mental illness. When one parent or both parents lose their jobs, it is a domino effect. About 1.4 million students were
Veterans and our soldiers are coming home from war or getting out of the military and when they get home they can’t afford rent or they have a mental disease from war. Homeless veterans tend to experience homelessness longer than non-veteran homeless. This should not be happening to our soldiers. This is very undesirable for our troops to come home and becoming homeless. They fight for our freedom and our rights and we repay them by becoming homeless.
Is it the stresses of war and inadequate job training? In addition, could it be untreated PTSD that keeps veterans from being productive once back in civilian life, thus causing the risk of homelessness? PTSD is one of the leading problems leading to homelessness among our veterans. As a veteran, myself, I understand the day to day struggles to come to grips with some things that were experienced as a soldier. For example, seeing fellow soldiers shot or killed, or the people you’re there to help turn on you, it’s a living nightmare.
The issue of homelessness in America has been evident since the early 1600’s. Across the country men, women and children spend their nights on the streets not knowing when or if they will ever find a permanent home. States and federal officials or city councils have tried to alleviate or at least reduce the number of homeless over the last several decades at a city, state or national level but it continues to be an ongoing problem. There is a multitude of factors that account for the growing homeless population that affects each state in the country differently. Though there are many contributing factors that contribute to the amount of people living on the street at any given night in the U.S.