How To Help Homeless Veterans

In today's society where opinion matters, people have been extremely vocal about the lack of support the government has provided to our veterans. Many feel as if the government should do more, while others feel as if they are doing enough. Everyone will have a difference of opinion no matter if they have severed in the military or not. No matter how one may feel, is extremely important to take care of our veterans. As they have sacrificed their lives, time, and family to protect our country. Contrary to one's belief, the government provides a substantial amount of programs, which support the veterans. Honestly more could be done. On any given day you could see women and men standing on the corner holding signs implying they are homeless veterans and will work for food. A few programs the government offers our veterans are funding for mental health services, The Wounded Warrior Project and Vocational Rehabilitation and Education, which will be discussed throughout this essay. When you research the programs, they make it sound as if all proceeds are going towards the best treatment and care money could buy.

Two and a half million service men and women were deployed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When these service men and women come home from war, people usually visualize them getting a warm welcome and landing right back on their feet but this is not always the case. Many veterans suffer from PTSD and don’t get the help they need. Veterans are sometimes overlooked when politicians debate over current events and things that need to change. These veterans served their country but were living and dying on the street (Pearl 2). I chose the book “Veterans and Homelessness” by Libby Perl because it provided me with a statistics and a better understanding on the situation of veterans and homelessness.

In the article entitled “The Shameful Way America Treats Its Veterans” written by Tessa Stuart, the author gives us insight as to what it is like for homeless veterans living in today's world and why that needs to be changed. Stuart also goes into detail about the plenty of veterans that are left just waiting long before they can actually receive the right amount of care.

Homeless veterans population has been a problem over the decades but over the passed few years the population of homeless veterans has increased. This is a concerning problem that needs to be attended to and human services is one of the ways to seek help. Many veterans that are homeless is due to mental illnesses such post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), substance abuse (alcoholism and addiction), and depression. Veterans that are homeless usually have one or more issue that they are facing that is causing them to be homeless. Some veterans can be facing psychiatric, physical, and medical disorders at the same time, which is very common today (Goldstein, Luther, Haas, Appelt, & Gordon, 2010, p.312). Veterans that were deployed and fought

Most of the homeless populations are veterans. “In 2007, the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs conducted the first comprehensive census of homeless people and found that a disproportionate number of the homeless population were veterans” (Carissa Van Den Berk-Clark, and James McGuire). Veterans have served our country and risked their life for us, It's only right that we give them a house. The homeless veterans need to be more appreciated. A majority of the homeless people are older which is not healthy at all, when you get older your immune system goes down which causes you to be less healthy especially when you are out in the cold 24/7 and have no place to go causing you to get sick and risk possibly even

In Texas today there about 16,000 homeless veterans. Veterans who previously put their lives on the line for this country, veterans who, at the very least, deserve a bed to sleep on at night. This is not only an issue that needs to be addressed in Texas, but also an issue that should be a top priority. Because Texas has the third largest population of homeless veterans, we should be doing more to help those who served in combat and are now living on the streets.

Thirteen percent of all of the homeless in the United States are reported to be veterans (Hoffler, Dekle & Sheets, 2014). Because of this issue veteran suicide rates are much higher than the general population as are the rates for veterans substance abuse (McCarl 2103). Behavioral health needs and housing are currently the two of the largest needs that are facing veterans at this time. The VA has housing programs and a large funding source though each VA may have differing program structures the VA itself is lacing in outreach programs and psychoeducational programs for homeless veterans. Also Homeless veterans themselves underutilize the services available to them. (Gabrielian, Yuan, Rubestein, Anderson, Gelberg 2013) This homeless veterans

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.

“It’s like the path of least resistance... After a while, your self esteem gets really low and you don’t feel competitive any longer… Like you are already defeated.” (Applewhite ¶ 17). A quote from a homeless veteran shows how even though he has tried to relieve himself of the homelessness, it does not always end with the outcome that he wants, which leaves him feeling defeated, as well as thousands of others. About ⅓ of the homeless population are veterans, and they are usually the ones that need the most help (VA Expands Partnerships ¶5). The struggle that homeless veterans face everyday in the United States is a growing problem that needs to be fixed because it will continue to get worse. The healthy and productive success of

This is an issue in America that shouldn’t be happening. There are about 39,471 homeless veterans and about 1.4 million are at risk of becoming homeless. 50% are 51 or older, 51% have disabilities, 70% have substance abuse problems, and 20% of homeless males are veterans. Men and women like Clifford and Gary should never have to be faced with this problem. These men and women risk their lives to keep us safe and to think they would rather be shot at then living here is sad. They need to be noticed and respected because without them you could living in a country where you could be at risk of being shot for stepping outside. The United States needs to do a better job at noticing their needs and helping them because they are the reasons the country is still safe. I was truly heartbroken while reading Gary and Clifford’s story. They went through two wars, being under Nazi rule, and jumping from country to country to get safe and yet they were tricked by the country they defended and lost their home. This is absolutely repulsive to think they would rather be back in war then living in the “hell” they are in now. This is why this story is so important, these men and women needed to be noticed and helped because without them everyone's lives could be extremely

About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at-risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

Thousands of men and women throughout the United States give up the security and safety of their home to defend the freedoms that Americans, just like myself, get to enjoy every day. These men and women endure hardships and tragedies that most of us could not imagine dealing with, and they do it selflessly. When they finally get to return home to the country that they fought so selflessly to protect, they are forgotten. Veterans all across America receive inadequate health care, are left to suffer from mental illness and end up homeless, and the government is not doing near enough to help them.There are countless flaws in the way that our veterans are taken care of when they return home, and

Because of this we are also forgetting about all of the actually Veterans. In the world now there are around 50 thousand homeless Veterans. There are also about 1.4 million who are at risk for becoming homeless (Who are homeless Veterans). Each year there are more and more homeless Vets, and what makes it even harder for most is the fact that they suffer from mental health problems such as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) (PTSD: National Center for PTSD). This disorder is very serious and can be extremely dangerous for not only the Vet but the civilians around them if left untreated, which is difficult when you are not receiving support from anyone.

Through all of challenges the Veterans face, the only thing that can make them better are the treatments they should receive. The decrease in money has created an issue for the Veteran Administration department officials. Veterans have faced many challenges receiving therapy and treatments. Citizens try their best to give the help the Veterans were promised. The government policies are making things worse by surrounding Veterans with negativity. Together we could make things better for the Veterans by giving them the help needed and keeping a positive attitude in their

The men and women who serve our country risk their lives every single day to protect their country and the people in it. Out of all sacrifices one could make, going to war to protect their country is the largest offering a human will ever be able to make. It is not of monetary value that these sacrifices are paid, but rather in blood. And if these soldiers are able to come home, treatment is less than mediocre. A census report shows, “There [is] 21.8 million veterans of the U.S. armed forces as of 2014” (Risen). With that large of a number of people to take care of, it is not always easy to help everyone. In continuation, only 8.3 million veterans are receiving veterans affairs benefits and care (“By the Numbers: Veterans”). The amount