Homelessness is a major social issue facing our society today. Homelessness among United States Veterans in particular is at epidemic levels for those returning to civilian life. Given the Iraq and Afghanistan tours and number of soldiers returning from multiple tours in “hell”, it is little wonder the number of homeless vets has more than doubled in the past two years. (Zoroya, 2014)
Serious measures need to be taken to save our “fallen soldiers” from the depressing life on the streets of America. But in order to do this we must first understand the life of homeless vets to determine why conventional attempts at solving this problem just don’t work. Our society needs to take ownership in working with State and Federal Government to implement successful solutions which produce positive results in eliminating homelessness among our veterans. The number of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who are homeless or risk losing the roof over their heads is increasing as more of these soldiers return home from active duty. At the end of September, 2014, 531 of these vets were living on the streets of Connceticut. (Zoroya, 2014) These numbers are actually much higher because it only represents the number staying in shelters or those receiving federal temporary housing vouchers to pay rent as noted in Department of Veterans’ Affairs reports. (Zoroya, 2014).
There were more than 62,600 homeless veterans in the United States according to data from January 2014 report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Paralyzed Veterans of America, 2014). Given the contributions that these men and women have given to society that just one veteran living without safe and stable housing is one too many. First step in solving a problem is to understand why the problem exists. An autobiographical depiction of one veteran’s struggle with homelessness provides valuable insight into understanding this social dilemma. Homeless in the City: A Veteran describes the decade he spent living on the streets was written by Theodore Walther. The author spent over 10 years living on the streets of a small city on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Walther describes homelessness on various levels such as short-term which can be a result of divorce, loss of job, financial hardship, or death of a loved one. According to Walther, these people continue to participate and function in society to the best of their abilities. Then there is the group that Walther categorizes himself as being in know as the chronically homeless or long-term homeless. Walther’s journey into the streets began with him selling everything he owned and going into rehab. He had been self-medicating with alcohol to deal with his demons resulting from his tour of duty. He believed that rehab would turn his life around and he would once again be a productive member of society. Walters’s time in rehab was too short and did not resolve the obvious issues associated with his drinking problem. This was the start of his homelessness adventure which lasted more than 10 years. Walther provides an inside opinion of the broken social services system society has in place to handle the problem of homelessness. For example, Walther states, “When I saw the sheer numbers of men and women going through these rehab centers just as I was, without a clue as to what was really happening to them, I realized how hopelessly broken this “world of recovery” really is. It’s a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.” (Walther, 2014) The author describes the perils on the streets and how public perception impacts their self-esteem and ability to dig themselves out of the homeless hole.
The American public needs to take ownership in solving this issue and play their role in numerous ways. First and foremost we need to start treating our veterans homeless included with dignity and respect, it’s incumbent upon us as a nation to have an even greater concern for our veterans then we do now. Simply meeting the homeless vets with understanding and empathy for their situation is the first step in eliminating veteran homelessness. Federal funding is a major hurdle that must be dealt with in handling this issue, and the American people are a strong force in lobbying our legislatures for the appropriate action. For example, there is a bill in congress, The Mobile Medical Homeless Health Improvement Act (HR29) which provides for one of the best available methods of reaching our homeless veterans. (Paralyzed Veterans of America, 2013) The bill provides funding to local hospitals to create a mobile medical unit that can provide case management, behavioral and mental health care, medical care and screenings and immunizations. This unit would outreach in the streets, under bridges, in abandoned buildings anywhere the homeless reside and seek out veterans in particular. There are so many services that are available to the vets, but the homeless vets just don’t have the means to reach them. Unfortunately, like so many other unsuccessful homeless veteran solutions, the bill is sent to committee to die or funding is not available based on budget cuts. The American people need to contact their congressmen and support these veteran initiatives. Votes create action. Also local social clubs and business leaders can be very influential in contributing to the success of homeless veteran initiatives. Guest speakers like Walther can put a real face on the issue of homeless vets and success stories fuel continued support and funding for charitable organizations dedicated to eliminating veteran homelessness. Arizona is one state that is a leader and provides a model program Project H3 as recognized by the White House in addressing the homeless veteran and providing proven measurable results. Project H3 Vets is a nationally recognized program coordinated by the Arizona Coalition to End Homeless. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2013 homeless assessment report to Congress, Connecticut was among the states that saw the greatest decreases in the number of homeless veterans from 2012 to 2013. (Lee, Success in housing for homeless veterans in US touted, 2014) Project H3 Vets brought together local, state, community, social-service and business leaders for the past two years in an aggressive push to take the most vulnerable veterans off the streets. The program’s success is credited with these groups coordinated efforts in finding housing for the vets. The model is simple, get a roof over their heads first, and then address the issues (mental health, financial, substance abuse etc.) which contribute to their homelessness. This helps to reduce the Band-Aid effect of social rehab programs. Having a permanent roof over their head takes the worry out of their basic survival and allows the other issues to be addressed. Another key factor in this program is providing navigators for the homeless. Many of these navigators are former homeless vets themselves. These navigators provide moral support and assist with various tasks like filling out the necessary forms for the homeless vet to receive services, food boxes, housing vouchers etc. The navigators also make sure the homeless vets get to their appointments by reminding phone calls and transportation. Local officials and advocates set a goal of housing 222 veterans who fit the federal definition of chronic homelessness. So far, 187vets are permanently housed in apartment complexes across the Valley.
The rest are in transitional housing awaiting federal housing vouchers. (Lee, Success in housing for homeless veterans in US touted, 2014) The major obstacle is once again funding.
In conclusion, we need to enhance services for vets by provide a safe place for them to address their issues and rehabilitate back into society. The US Government needs to implement a more user friendly access to programs and services for the veteran community. It’s easy to criticize the military for not providing proper exit education to our troops or to blame the VA for the demise of mental health providers. It is also human nature to look for a quick fix to a complex problem. However, regardless of the obstacles that we as a nation may encore it is our responsibility to ensure that our soldiers and their families receive all the necessary support and services that we as a nation can provide. I encourage everyone to use their voice and the power of the vote to ensure that we do. References
Paralyzed Veterans of America. (2013). Hope for lost vets. PN-Paraplegia News 67.11, 58. (A. O. File, Compiler) Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://go.galegroup.com.ezlib.gatewaycc.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA348311844&v=2.1&u=mcc_gateway&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=c57b29f1ed895343ce48f8192fa08c4e
Lee, M. Y. (2014, January 20). Success in housing for homeless veterans in US touted. Arizona Republic. (A. Central.com, Compiler) Phoenix, Arizona, United States: AZ Republic. Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://www.opencongress.org/search/result?q=Mobile+Medical+Homeless+Health+Improvement+Act+HR+29&search_bills=1&search_people=1&search_committees=1&search_issues=1&search_congress%5B113%5D=113
Walther, T. (2014, winter). Homeless in the City: A Veteran Describes the Decade He Has Spent Living on the Streets. The American Scholar(83.1), 48+. (A. One File, Compiler) The American Scholar. Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://www.theamericanscholar.org/
Zoroya, G. (2012, December 27). Homeless, at-risk veterans double. USA Today. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/free/20121227homeless-veterans-double.html