Homeless Veterans Research Paper

Homelessness is one the most ignored problems in the United States with citizen and politician. Homeless people are walked by and ignored. Nobody ever thinks that they will be homeless. Due to the economy, people live paycheck to paycheck making house payments very difficult. Most people will want to believe most homeless people are drug addicts or alcoholics, but most people will be surprise to know that it is no all true. 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.

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. An effective way to address the problem of homelessness in America is to continue creating affordable housing, maintaining assistance programs, and continue creating workforce

The homeless veteran population is a concerning problem to the Veteran Affairs (VA). The population has been growing over many decades. To have a better understanding why there are so many veterans being homeless this paper will discuss many of the reasons why this is occurring. Veterans who have served in high combat can suffer from physical disabilities and mental illness that affect the normal daily tasks, but also who have not served can also suffer with the same issues. Suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD), causes veterans to have a hard time transitioning back to civilian life after the military. With PSTD there is a higher risk of having problems with substances and addictions because veterans tend to self-treat themselves

On a larger scale, more than one million people are homeless in America and of that population, 50 percent are chronically addicted to alcohol, drugs, or both (Substance abuse mental health, 2011 para 6). Research has brought more attention to risk factors that contribute to homelessness such as the epidemic of substance abuse.

The article “The State of Homelessness in America” provides

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.

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

Ending Veteran Homelessness Social Problem In 2009, President Obama and Secretary Shinseki committed to ending homelessness among Veterans with the Policy H.R. 806 (Bill, 2011). In support of that effort, the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in 2010 developed by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) established as one of its goals to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans in five years. (Balshem H, Christensen V, Tuepker A, et al, 2011) Recent studies document the fact that large numbers on veterans are among the homeless and that veterans are homeless because they are poor, gained few job skills in the service, or have not been helped by the Veterans Administration.

In the United States homelessness has been a substantial problem for decades. The reason for homelessness is greatly debated especially

Veteran Homelessness On any given night, approximately 49,000 American veterans are homeless, men and women that served our country and fought for our freedom (Unique Issues). Most are suffering from traumatic brain injuries, physical disabilities, and some are over the age of 50 (Unique Issues). Veteran homelessness continues to be a persistent problem. A system in which increased funding goes to housing and providing care to veterans would drastically help these peoples if not homelessness will continue to grow because of the United States’ involvement in the Middle East.

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.

There are more than 500,000 homeless people in America (Johnson). There are many reasons and causes for people to end up living this way, but the biggest cause is tragic life events, for like loss of loved ones, job loss, domestic violence, divorce, and family disputes. Other reasons for homelessness are depression, untreated mental illness, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and physical disabilities ("Top Causes of Homelessness in America."). Many people see homelessness as a bad thing and an issue, but it does serve a purpose in society. Homelessness can be seen in many different ways.

One of the main causes of homeless veterans is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD. “ is a medical problem where

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.

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.