The Unfortunate Reality of Homeless Veterans
According
to the U.S. Department of housing and Urban Development (HUD), on any one given
night in 2021, there were more than 326,000 people that were experiencing
sheltered homelessness. Out of those 326,000+, 19,750 were veterans. This
represents a total of eight percent of the adult’s experiencing homelessness in
the United States.
This
number only represents those that are sheltered, HUD estimates there to be
40,056 veterans to be homeless on any given night
One may
ask the question, why is it that those who helped protect our country are
homeless?
According
to a study conducted by researchers with the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Health
Care System and Yale University, both male and female Veterans have a higher
risk to being homeless than non-veterans. Researchers found that Veterans have
the same major risks that many adults have when it comes to homelessness, many
of these strong risk factors include substance abuse, severe mental illness,
and low income. There are factors that are unique to Veterans such as
problematic discharges, low military pay grade, and social isolation after their
discharge from the military.
Homelessness
is a hard subject to reality in general but being a Veteran and homeless is an
even harder reality. Many men and women of different backgrounds fought to
protect our country, and ultimately when returning they suffer in many ways,
whether that is financially, mentally, physically and or emotionally. Some were
refused to be helped due to a discharge for misconduct (misconduct was defined
as drugs, alcoholism, offenses, or infractions based on military separation codes),
it was not until 2017 that VA announced that they would provide up to 90 days
of urgent mental health care to Veterans regardless of how their discharge was
labeled, being honorable or for misconduct. While 90 days may be successful for
some it may not be effective to all.
Housing
becomes difficult when there is a substance abuse problem, in most cases
housing options for homeless Veterans requires them to be sober or to be involved
in treatment programs. So even though housing might be available it may not be
an option due to not being sober. Although in 2011 VA began adopting the Housing
First mode of care, this means that those who have not reached sobriety can
receive permanent housing through government-funded rental vouchers. Along with
this service they provide them with case management through a social worker and
referrals to primary care that will ultimately help them with their sobriety.
One of the
more unfortunate realities is some of these veterans get honorably discharged
due to an injury, where then a family member will take care of them. Unfortunately,
that isn’t always the case. There are instances where these veterans return
home to no one. To put it into perspective an injury means that you can no
longer perform the necessary means to be in the military, this could mean they
suffered shrapnel wounds, second to third degree burns, and traumatic brain
injuries. These types of injuries can make it difficult to find and or keep a
job, ultimately making it impossible to find a home.
I think it
is important to remember that these people fought for us, and it is important
to be able to help them in return as much as we can. There are different ways
to help such as donations to charities that support Veterans, that could include
financial donations or some charities look for people to donate clothing items,
hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrush, deodorant etc..), volunteering.
For more
information on programs that VA offers and services that support the homeless
visit U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs.
For an
opportunity to volunteer locally, get in contact with Portland
Veterans Stand Down, Oregon’s largest - honors and supports Veterans, who
are often experiencing or at risk of homelessness. They will be having their first
in person event since the pandemic on September the 9th , 2022 at the Veterans
Memorial Coliseum Plaza from 9 am – 1 pm. They will be offering a wide range of
resources for Veterans that include Breakfast and lunch, Employment Fair,
haircuts, and much more.
Sources:
“We're Here Anytime, Day or Night - 24/7.” Homelessness, https://www.research.va.gov/topics/homelessness.cfm#research5.
“HUD Releases 2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part 1.” HUD.gov
/ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 4 Feb. 2022, https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_22_022#:~:text=This%20represents%20the%20largest%20one%2Dyear%20decline%20since%202015%20to,homelessness%20in%20the%20United%20States.
Written by:
Susana Soto
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