New Study -25% of all homeless are Vets

mmarsh

mmarsh

Active member
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 25 percent of the homeless population in the United States are military veterans, although they represent only 11 percent of the civilian adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.

Vietnam veteran Joseph Schlactur is among the U.S. homeless. On any given night last year, nearly 196,000 veterans slept on the street, in a shelter or in transitional housing, the study by the Homelessness Research Institute found. "Veterans make up a disproportionate share of homeless people," the report said.

"This is true despite the fact that veterans are better educated, more likely to be employed and have a lower poverty rate than the general population."
The National Alliance to End Homelessness, which includes the Homelessness Research Institute as its research and education arm, planned a press conference Thursday to discuss the study's findings.
"These findings highlight the need to provide veterans with the proper housing and supportive services to prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place," said Nan Roman, the organization's president. "If we can do that, then we can greatly reduce the number of homeless veterans in general."
The states with the highest number of homeless veterans include Louisiana, California and Missouri, according to the research. Washington, D.C., also had a high rate.

About 44,000 to 64,000 veterans are classified as "chronically homeless" -- homeless for long periods or repeatedly. Other veterans -- nearly 468,000 -- are experiencing "severe housing cost burden," or paying more than half their income for housing, thereby putting them at a high risk for homelessness.
The rates of the burden of housing costs were highest in Rhode Island, California, Nevada and Hawaii, but Washington, D.C., had the highest rate, according to the organization.
To reduce chronic homelessness among veterans by half, the report concludes housing coupled with supportive services should be increased by 25,000 units, and the number of housing vouchers for veterans should be increased by 20,000.
Some veterans, like Jason Kelley find themselves in a catch-22, not able to find a job because of the lack of an apartment, and not being able to get an apartment because of not having a job, The Associated Press reported.
"The only training I have is infantry training and there's not really a need for that in the civilian world," AP quoted Kelley as saying in a phone interview. In addition, he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, according to AP. Kelley served in Iraq with the Wisconsin National Guard.
A new Gallup poll released by Fannie Mae showed that nearly a quarter of veterans, or 24 percent, report having been concerned they may not have a place to live. Eighty-six percent of poll respondents believe homelessness among veterans is either staying at the same level or increasing.
In addition, 61 percent of poll respondents believe veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are at least as likely to become homeless as veterans of previous wars.
The poll of 1,005 veterans was conducted September 4-October 17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
At the National Alliance to End Homelessness event, Fannie Mae will announce a $200,000 grant to the Common Ground organization that will enable the construction of more permanent housing units for veterans.
"Our veterans have served America, and America must serve them," said Daniel Mudd, president and CEO of Fannie Mae, in a statement.
Common Ground is a nonprofit developer of housing and other solutions to prevent and end homelessness, according to the Fannie Mae statement

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/homeless.veterans/index.html?iref=topnews

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Once again we see the utter neglect of Vets by the Federal Government. And interestingly enough the number of homeless vets who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan is rising, especially those who suffer from neurotic disorders such as PTS.

The fact that there are homeless in a country as rich as ours is bad enough, but the fact that so many are vets abandoned and discarded like a broken piece of equipment is truly disgusting, especially those who are in need of medical/mental/emotional assistance.
 
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I agree. That's life... in its ugliest, most honest form.
Civilian life and military life in themselves are so different, adjusting from one to the other, psychological disease or not, is hard enough as it is.
 
I agree mmarsh. I was reading this article on Yahoo! News last night. It is horrible. I think we should be focusing on our homeless here before we run around to other countries trying to solve their problems. (i.e. Africa and their AIDs stuff for instance). :(
 
pixiedustboo said:
I agree mmarsh. I was reading this article on Yahoo! News last night. It is horrible. I think we should be focusing on our homeless here before we run around to other countries trying to solve their problems. (i.e. Africa and their AIDs stuff for instance). :(
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I agree with that except for the AIDS part. The reason is like so many diseases AIDS spreads. If it is not checked in one country it will (and already has) spread to another. Africa is particularly important because it is believed the AIDS started there from Monkeys which mutated into a human pathogen. Most Scientists believe The cure to AIDS is somewhere on the African continent, which is why we must continue it there.

I happen to live very close to the Pasteur Institute which is one of the largest AIDS research centers in the world...
 
This is ridiculous. We should be focusing on relief for our own before throwing money at random third-world countries.

AIDS is pretty scary though, I think I remember seeing that one African country had like 25% infection rate. It's become a real plague.
 
I remember that when AIDS first emerged, we were warned that it would decimate Africa.

I will not start any blame game going here, just let me say that I am delighted to have heard somewhere recently that a cure is very close.

Anyway - looks like we are gonna have unanimity here on this particular thread, and i reckon that's good - takes some doing!
 
major liability said:
This is ridiculous. We should be focusing on relief for our own before throwing money at random third-world countries.

AIDS is pretty scary though, I think I remember seeing that one African country had like 25% infection rate. It's become a real plague.
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The best way to cure a disease is at its source. So by helping Africa we are also helping ourselves.
 
It's a damn shame.

Let's stick to the subject- Homeless veterans not AIDS

This study does not present anything new.

I remember seeing this very same statistic more than ten years ago. This fact has been around for quite a while. And yes nothing has been done about it.

It's a damn shame.
 
Yeah.
And here's the thing about most homeless people: they can't be helped. They're just so used to their way of life that you fix everything, give them a skill, give them a job, and they'll be back on the streets again in no time.
I hate to sound like a :cen: but that's just what happens. It's not like people don't try to help but sometimes people are simply beyond repair.
There are people out there willing to help. For those on the streets who want to get off it, there are avenues for that. But that's where they stay because that's their new home.
 
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tomtom22 said:
Let's stick to the subject- Homeless veterans not AIDS

This study does not present anything new.

I remember seeing this very same statistic more than ten years ago. This fact has been around for quite a while. And yes nothing has been done about it.

It's a damn shame.
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We can never do enough, there always seems to be more of a need then there is money to get it done, but, we cannot even begin to help those who refuse the help that is on the table, for whatever reason.

Even if such a Veteran can be pulled into the VA to get him put back into shape, and then he escapes as soon as he is let to run the grounds, well, the VA does not want to just put him in a Locked Ward for the rest of his life. For those who were POWs during Vietnam and such, well the VA is against locking them down even if they refuse needed Medical Treatment.

For some, the horrors of War are just too much to bear, they no longer wish to be around their families, some have said they fear for the safety of their Family if they stay around them, and, they some times no longer want to be around other Veterans who may end up growing too close, only to then take the risk of leaving abruptly, like a quick death in a Combat Zone of a close friend.


Housing was brought up, but if someone had suffered the ravages of War, but not being Physically Wounded, or Service Connectedly Mentally Wounded, and then arrive at the point of being unable to Work, well, there is a Non-Service Connected Pension in place to at least help with that now for those Veterans, it is even paid for those who never Deployed into the Combat Zone, but were merely Enlisted during a time of Conflict.

Then there is Job Retraining, and VAMCs Nationwide offer an in-house CWT (Compensated Work Therapy) Program for homeless Veterans who are being Lodged at the Medical Center, to teach them a skill they can use, pay them, not charge them for anything while they are there, and offer full time job openings to them to work at the VAMC they rehab'd at.
Many times all they want is a little cash in their pocket, new clothes, any ills fixed up, and its back into the streets to do whatever it was they were up to before they came in, Substance Abuse playing a major part.

If you have any ideas how we can do more with the funds allocated, well there are many who would like to hear them, people (other than you) would no doubt be promoted, and perhaps buy you lunch or dinner sometime.

If you know of any Federal Land sitting empty around you, ask your Elected Representative to have such turned over to the DVA, the Military closed Fort Devens, and the VA is supposed to get first pick for Military Bases being closed so as to use such for a VA Facility, as it is merely a Lateral Transfer of Land and Buildings.
Then see about getting your people in Congress to talk the DVA into building new Housing Units and fixing those which can be fixed up for the Homeless Veterans in your State, until the VA can get the Veterans fixed up, find out what went wrong in the first place, and make sure the Veterans are better equipped to deal with such matters should they come up again, get them back into the Workforce, and on their own again. Then keep doing it over, and over, and over to the rest of the Homeless Veterans still on the Streets.

If you do talk to Congress ask them to stop giving the DVA more money merely to hire more people just to walk around looking for things to keep them busy all day and other high earners within the system sucking up funds.

Seems the DVA for years has been the go to Department for Political Paybacks. Help someone get Elected (even in a small way) to an Office and get a nice job at the VA, a Job which lasts for 20 years or more, as the people getting them marry the job and most times have it long after the person they helped into office is long gone.
I remember when many Beds were removed at the Washington DC VAMC to make more Office Space because VA Headquarters was bursting at the seams.
 
It seems to me that if the DOD transfers a property to the VA then there is no excess land involved as it pertains to the government. The land would have been excess to the DoD not to the government as a whole.
In any event Gator, I thought most of old Ft. Devens has been turned over to the public for private development. FWIW, I was stationed there for a number of schools.
 
DTop said:
It seems to me that if the DOD transfers a property to the VA then there is no excess land involved as it pertains to the government. The land would have been excess to the DoD not to the government as a whole.
In any event Gator, I thought most of old Ft. Devens has been turned over to the public for private development. FWIW, I was stationed there for a number of schools.
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Well, you are correct in that the Land with which I was referring would not be abandoned, it would merely be laterally transferred with no abandonment issues to contend with.
And with Fort Devens, that is part and parcel with the problem as I see it, if there is a need for more Bed Space for the VA to deal with the Homeless Veteran Issue, well I can think of no better starting point than Military Bases which are closing, as there are facilities already in place to feed, lodge, train, offer at least basic medical care, and be secure.

I believe you will see the same thing with Walter Reed Army Medical Center, even though I have already brought up to several people within the system that WRAMC is newer than the DC VAMC, and there is also ample space to move VA Headquarters from downtown DC onto Walter Reed as well.
VA Headquarters taking up a city block in Downtown Washington D.C., with a really nice view of the White House, which can be turned over to DHS and other newer Agencies in need of hand holding for the time being.
The DC VAMC can be sold to Washington Hospital Center (which is right across the street from the Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center) which also has Children’s, along with National Rehab Hospital.

There is enough space at WRAMC to house Homeless Veterans as well, and get them Medical Care as needed, bring them back up to speed, and move them back into the Workforce.
Now.... not that many of the current people at VA Headquarters would want to be in such close proximity to the Nations Homeless Veterans, but, in my opinion, in such as case better people can be found for VA Headquarters as needed, but, I believe the Homeless Veteran problem will be dealt with more quickly if it is right in the face of the people who pull the strings.

And for what it's worth, a Sneaky Feet Command was at Devens, so, I say, better you than me.
 
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