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Homeless Veterans; What Programs Are Being Put in Place to Help

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BSHS441: ADVOCACY AND MEDIATION
Project-Annotated Outline and Bibliography

Veterans and Homelessness: What programs are being put in place to help.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought renewed attention to the needs of veterans, including the needs of homeless veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reported that in FY2008 it assessed more than 1,500 veterans who served in the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom theater of operations for participation in its Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program. Both male and female veterans have been over represented in the homeless population, and as the number of veterans increases due to these conflicts, there is concern that the number of homeless veterans could rise commensurately.

The current economic downturn also has raised concerns that homelessness could increase among all groups, including veterans. Congress has created numerous programs that serve homeless veterans specifically, almost all of which are funded through the Veterans Health Administration. These programs provide health care and rehabilitation services for homeless veterans (the Health Care for Homeless Veterans and Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans programs), employment assistance (Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program and Compensated Work Therapy program), transitional housing (Grant and Per Diem program) as well as other supportive services. The VA also works with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless veterans through the HUD-VA Supported Housing Program (HUD-VASH).

In the HUD-VASH program, HUD funds rental assistance through Section 8 vouchers while the VA provides supportive services. In addition, two newly enacted programs focus on homelessness prevention through supportive services: the VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families program and a VA and HUD homelessness prevention demonstration program.

Annotated Project Outline

I. Homelessness has always existed in the United States, but only in recent decades has the issues come to prominence. a. In the 1970s and 1980s, the number of homeless persons increased, as did their visibility. experts cite various causes for the increase in homelessness. b. These include the demolition of single room occupancy dwellings in so-called “skid rows” where transient single men lived, the decreased availability of affordable housing generally, the reduced need for seasonal unskilled labor, the reduced likelihood that relatives will accommodate homeless family members, the decreased value of public benefits, and changed admissions standards at mental hospitals(Rossi 1989). c. The increased visibility of homeless persons was due, in part, to the decriminalization of actions such as public drunkenness, loitering, and vagrancy(Rossi 1989). d. Homelessness occurs among families with children and single individuals, in rural communities as well as large urban cities, and for varying periods of time. Depending on circumstances, periods of homelessness may vary from days to years. e. First, transitionally homeless people are those who have one short stay in a homeless shelter before returning to permanent housing. f. In the second category, those who are episodically homeless frequently move in and out of homelessness but do not remain homeless for long periods of time. g. Third, chronically homeless individuals are those who are homeless continuously for a period of one year or have at least four episodes of homelessness in three years.
II. What is a “Homeless Veteran” a. veterans experience all types of homelessness, they are thought to be chronically homeless in higher numbers than nonveterans (Burt 1999). b. In order to qualify for assistance under the homeless veteran programs governed by Title 38 of the U.S. Code, veterans must meet the definition of “homeless veteran.” c. The definition of “veteran” for purposes of Title 38 benefits is a person who “served in the active military, naval, or air service “and was not dishonorably discharged. d. In order to be a veteran who is eligible for benefits according to this definition, at least four criteria must be met (Title 38 of the U.S. Code). e. veterans are considered homeless if they meet the definition of “homeless individual” codified as part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77).

III. Outreach to Women Veterans a. The return to civilian life from active duty for a woman veteran poses challenges different from her male counterpart. b. As of 2008, about 7,000 women veterans in the U.S. were homeless. That number is expected to increase as more women return from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan (Schmitt2008) c. one-third of all homeless women veterans have mental health issues.(Schmitt2008) d. Women veterans are up to 4 times more likely to be homeless compared with nonveteran women. The number of homeless women veterans is increasing.(Gamache G, Rosenheck R, Tessler R, 2003)

Annotated Bibliography

American Journal of Community Psychology 26, no. 2 (April 1998): 210-212.

Burt, M, (1992), The Growth of Homelessness in the 1980s (New York:
Russell Sage Foundation)

Burt, M, Aron, L, et al.( 1999), Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve, Technical Report, Urban Institute, December, p. 11-1

Gamache G, Rosenheck R, Tessler R.( 2003) Overrepresentation of women veterans among homeless women. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(7):1132-1136.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. 38 U.S.C. § 2002(1).

Mulhall E.(2009) Women warriors: Supporting she ‘who has borne the battle.’ http://media.iava.org/IAVA _WomensReport_2009.pdf. Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America Website. Published October 2009. Accessed January 23, 2013.

Robertson M.J. (1987), “Homeless Veterans, An Emerging Problem?” in The Homeless in Contemporary Society, ed. Richard J. Bingham, Roy E. Green, and Sammis B. White (Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications,).

Rossi P.H. (1989), Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press)

Rossi P.H. (1989), Over the Edge, (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,)

Schmitt RM.(2008) Homelessness a problem for women veterans. Website.http://woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2008/06/homelessness-problem-for-women-veterans.html. Published June 12, 2008. Accessed February 12, 2013.

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