Homeless Veterans Essay

If a veterans has low levels of social support when they return home they can be at a greater risk of homelessness. Being unmarried or getting divorced also has a big effect on a veteran’s risk factor for homelessness. Low levels of social support in the first year, social isolation with the status of being unmarried “had the strongest association with homelessness of the 18 factors examined in the study” (Perl 17). Factors that pre-date military service can also affect a veteran’s risk for homelessness. Those who were abused before turning eighteen, experienced a traumatic even or natural disaster, or witnessed a murder all give a veteran a higher risk of being homeless. Having a lack of family support before being enlisted into the army can also lead to homelessness later

Veterans are homeless due to the many of the same reasons as the non-veteran are which include, shortage of housing, unemployment and personal hardship. However, veterans have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorders as well as sexual trauma which can create extra barriers for veterans. In fact, someone is sexually assaulted every thirty minutes in the military (Interpreting Data on Military Sexual Assault”, 2015). Since many veterans are deployed for long periods of time they have harder time trusting and controlling their impulses which can isolate them. Homelessness in veterans is an important issue right now because as troops are coming home from the Afghanistan and Iraq war, they are finding themselves “lost” due to the lack of governmental support. In the beginning of January of 2015, over 47,000 veterans were experiences homelessness on a single night (Henry, Megan, Shivy, Souase, Cohen, 2015). This is an improvement from 2010 when according to this report, there were 26,000 more veterans on the street (2015). Homeless veterans also account for 33% of homeless males in the U.S (“Homeless Veterans”,

The presence of additional risk for homelessness specifically associated with Veteran status is puzzling in that it occurs among a population that shows better outcomes on almost all socioeconomic measures and that has exclusive access to an extensive system of benefits that include comprehensive healthcare services, disability and pension assistance, and homeless services (Fargo, et al, 24).

The growing number of homeless veterans in the city of Los Angeles is growing out control, this issue is a social phenomenon that affects every city across the country; small or large. It is important to understand that consequently, one way or another, this issue affects not only the homeless veteran, the city, state and government, but every citizen within each city. Bring forth more attention to the fact that additional resources are required; resources such as prevention programs, services, education and vocational training, affordable housing, and medical services. In the last few years, government officials have realized that the current services for veterans are inadequate or insufficient. The government realizes that with the end of both wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of homeless veteran will surely increase. Additionally let’s not forget that these are the men and women who put their own lives in danger to protect our freedom and our way of life. After all that, the least we can do is to ensure that they are provide with adequate post-war services and training in order to adequately transition from military to the civilian sector.

The purpose of the study was to learn more about the relationship between PTSD and homelessness with veterans, as well as the risk factors associated with both.

The homeless veterans population has been a problem over the decades, but over the past few years the population of homeless veterans has increased once again. This is a concerning problem that needs to be attended to and human services is one of the ways to seek help. Veterans from previous wars had experience when they came back home lack of support that lead them to become homeless. Over the years this has gotten better by the government starting programs to help transition back to civilian status (Murphy & Tobin, 2014). Recently this has change due to the veteran population has increased for the last few years and there is not enough resources to provide the care that is needed. This was noticed and now the Veteran Affairs have put in

According to the 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report released by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an estimated 62,619 veterans were homeless on any given night in 2012. The good news is that the estimate represents a 7.2 percent decline from the 2011 estimate and a 17.2 percent decline compared to the 2009 estimate ("Veterans," 2013). Although progress is being made, there is much to be done. There are veterans with the same needs as the general homeless population, but also veterans with severe physical and mental health disabilities, related to their service, that necessitate permanent housing with supportive services.

Imagine one making a huge decision to leave family, friends, and a familiar lifestyle to go serve and protect their country for months or years at a time. Imagine one risking their life and putting forth their time just to come back to no home, money, or health care while have developed a mental illness. The government promises all of these benefits one may never see and they end up on the streets without a home finding ways to cope which may lead to addiction. A study shows that “There are estimated to be about 50,000 homeless veterans on any given night with about 1.4 million others at risk of becoming homeless, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans said, citing government statistics” (Shaw). Many of America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, and many other wars. Nearly half of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era. Two-thirds served their country for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone. Homeless veterans all across America come from different backgrounds and homelessness does not discriminate against gender. These veterans, including males and females, suffer from homelessness due to: being unemployable; suffering economic hardships; battling substance abuse, and lacking proper legal aid. Yes, there are plenty of resources out there to assist the homeless veterans that may help some but there are still too many veterans living on the streets.

However, despite how widespread this issue is, there are limited studies that show individual accounts of homelessness. Metraux et al. (2017), examine incidences of homelessness, and the role military service plays in increasing the risk of occurrence. Metraux et al. (2017), finding explains five key thematic areas, reintegration into civilian life, maintaining relationships, issues with employment, behavioral and mental health issues, generational poverty, negative life events and how this relates to using of veteran

This article is more about the relationship between gender and health services among homeless people. Montgomery, and Byrne say a cohort which presents both Veteran Affairs and mainstream homeless programs identifies how homeless veterans become inpatients and outpatients through the VA .Montgomery, and Byrne state “This study uncovered few differences between genders in inpatient use following onset of a Veteran's homeless episode"(237). They thought that many more men use substance abuse outpatient treatment and women use out patent medical treatment. Demographics show that veterans become more at risk among other veterans. Research found that males and female are at higher levels of risk for those who use outpatient treatment only. Illness

Researchers have found that the military service alone is associated with homelessness, but it may be associated with other factors that contribute to homelessness. According to Woolsey and Naumann (2015), the study proposed to seek and synthesize evidence from studies and reports related to homeless veterans, requested by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office, Chief Evaluation Office, and the Veterans’ Employment and training Services to be published by the end of 2014. With a central focus on identifying the risk factors for homelessness among veterans. Under those circumstances, the literature review encountered risk factors for homelessness among veterans, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, lack of access to stable housing and employment

For the past several years ending veteran homelessness has been a national priority. Ending homelessness among veterans requires many things such as, access to permanent housing, employment benefits, and health care. The first ever strategy to end veteran homelessness was announced in 2009. Since 2009, homelessness among veterans has decreased by 35%, down to around 47,725 veterans on a single night in 2015. There are a few different ways to end homelessness among our veterans. One way to address vulnerability factors before the soldiers are discharged. Helping the veterans with rental assistance and other services can also help the exit homelessness. Rapid re-housing is one thing that the VA and other programs are doing to try and help put an end to veteran homelessness. The VA is trying to expand housing, employment, and other essentials. Also, the VA has partnered with other private and public agencies to expand employment. President Obama has helped along the way with the homeless veteran crisis, “The good new is, we’ve helped get thousands of homeless Veterans off the street. [and] mad an unprecedented effort to end Veterans’ homelessness...But we’ve got...more work to do in cities and towns across America to get more Veterans into the homes they deserve”(About The Initiative - Homeless Veterans). The VA’s collaboration with other programs is ending veteran homelessness community by

The majority of homeless veterans have service connected disabilities that are a direct result of military service; this contributes to a high risk of homelessness among veterans. Unique military skills that are non-essential in the civilian sector, combat related health issues, fractured family relationships and the lack of affordable housing are other factors. Many of them lack a social support network and/or someone to assist them with getting assistance from the government. They may be unaware of the different services they require and are

In 2016, there were an estimated 40,000 homeless veterans in the United States. In some cases, untreated PTSD can push veterans toward substance abuse and other

Approximately 12% or 49,933 of the adult homeless population are veterans in the United States (Olenick, Flowers, & Diaz, 2015, p. 637). The average age for homeless veterans is 49 years old compared to 30 years old for non-veterans (Ritter, 2014, p. 19). The homeless veterans are very similar to the homeless non-veteran population. They tend to struggle with the same difficulties like mental illness, substance abuse and unemployment (Olenick, Flowers, & Diaz, 2015, p. 637). According to the book Homeless Veterans and Health: A Resource Guide for Providers, research shows that military service is not the major cause of the homelessness among veterans, it has more to do with their social support, income, lack of affordable housing, addictions, physical and mental health and social isolation when they get back from serving overseas (McMurray-Avila, 2001, p. 1). Unemployment is common among veterans because military skills do not always transfer to civilian work, making it tougher to find a job and possibly keep a job (Olenick, Flowers, & Diaz, 2015, p. 636-637).