Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Our Veterans are Amazing People

Here is more information about homeless veterans, nationally. The veterans I have gotten to know over the years have impacted my life in a significant way. If we think about, most of us know a veteran or have someone who severed in our own families. Its both heartbreaking and maddening when those who have served our country end up homeless. 

There are so many factors that can lead to homelessness. An extreme shortage of affordable housing is one of the most common. If a person cannot find a place to live, then options are limited. Something we've addressed a great deal on this blog is the lack of a livable income which leads to mounting bills and an inability for a person to sustain them self. Inadequate access to health care  is another factor contributing to people losing their homes. But our veterans face all these and some other obstacles unique to them

A large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. Additionally, military occupations and training are not always transferable to the civilian workforce, placing some veterans at a disadvantage when competing for employment.
A top priority for homeless veterans is secure, safe, clean housing that offers a supportive environment free of drugs and alcohol.

Some veterans have difficulty receiving services. Each year, VA’s specialized homelessness programs provide health care to almost 150,000 homeless veterans and other services to more than 112,000 veterans. Additionally, more than 40,000 homeless veterans receive compensation or pension benefits each month.

Since 1987, VA’s programs for homeless veterans have emphasized collaboration with such community service providers to help expand services to more veterans in crisis. VA, using its own resources or in partnerships with others, has secured nearly 15,000 residential rehabilitative and transitional beds and more than 30,000 permanent beds for homeless veterans throughout the nation. These partnerships are credited with reducing the number of homeless veterans by 70% since 2005. 

Veterans need a coordinated effort that provides secure housing, nutritional meals, basic physical health care, substance abuse care and aftercare, mental health counseling, personal development and empowerment. Additionally, veterans need job assessment, training and placement assistance.
Samaritan House strongly believes that all programs to assist homeless veterans must focus on helping them obtain and sustain employment.

Information courtesy of National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

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