We see these people everyday; we thank them for their service. There is several holidays to honor them. Some are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or even someone that we hold dear to our hearts. They are our veterans of many wars and conflicts that America has been in. We salute them, give them parades, and special parking at different establishments. However, what about those who return from war with nothing? No home, family, and money for whatever reasons. They are homeless veterans.
Have you ever wondered how the veterans became homeless? A veteran can become homeless by many ways. Many become homeless due to being discharged early from physical or mental reasons or because when they come out of active duty, some of them are unable to act in social environments due to their mental state because of events or situations they dealt with while serving in the military. Others may not be able to financially support themselves after they are out of the military and are unable to obtain jobs.With that in mind, what
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is a veteran in general? According to Scott D. Szymendra with the Congressional Research Service, “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.” (page 1) However that may be, the number of homeless veterans is quite astonishing as it is disappointing. According to GreenDoors, “the vast majority of homeless veterans (96%) are single males from poor, disadvantaged communities.” (2016) Despite that being a large percentage, a lot of these veterans were ones that have served in some very well known wars like World War II, Vietnam, and the Cold War -- just to name a few. Though this may be, the number of homeless veterans who are women have been on a steady rise since 2006. ( GreenDoors, 2016) There have been many organizations, much like the VA, that give veterans a place to sleep, eat, and socialize with others.
They are much like shelters for other specific causes, however, this one is very much dedicated to helping veterans get back into the swing of an ordinary life. Veteran homeless shelters provide many things. One of the many things would be health benefits. According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs, “A person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable may qualify for VA health care benefits.” (2015) Another thing that these organizations do is help homeless veterans become more social among each other as well as provide them with hot meals, a place to sleep, shower, and a new pair of clothes. Places like the homeless shelters for homeless veterans even help them get a job and get their life back in order before they were
discharged. Normally, a majority of Americans would turn a blind eye to people who are homeless, not even caring that they no longer have a home, money, or even someone to just help them get off the streets. The reason for this being is because some people do believe that homeless people need to earn what they lost by themselves instead of taking other’s hard earned money. Most people don’t understand that some homeless veterans cannot get a job due to mental or health issues that refrain them from being able to interact socially or be active in the way their employers need them to be. A way that Americans can definitely help is by not turning a blind eye to those in need. Perhaps helping a homeless veteran find a housing that will take them in and help them get back on their feet would be a great way to start. Simply donating money to help build more homes for this specific cause would also be another step in the right direction. Helping someone with getting their life back together doesn’t always require giving them money -- just a place to sleep and eat would be just as suffice as giving someone money for them to go and buy clothes and food for themselves. As a civilized society, we should be ashamed at the way that we treat those heroes who gave a portion of their lives to ensure our safety -- to ensure that we are able to enjoy the freedom they fought for. Many of these veterans are homeless to the point that they may have suffered some traumatic experience and are unable to work. Many financial institutes are unwilling to take a chance on them by loaning them money or by taking their homes. Some are unable to work due to illnesses or disabilities that may refrain them from moving or from social interaction. Some are also unable to get into a housing due to some being at a capacity limit and they cannot take them in. These are men and women who fought for us, maybe we should start doing the same for them.
They use medication and alcohol for sleeping because they obsess that enemies are coming, they need more consciousness to fight back.
“states that the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 9% being female. The majority are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans.
In the article, Numbers, it states, that the estimated number of homeless veterans in the United States was 200,000 (Lamarque). This article was based on the statistics of homeless veterans from 2006, meaning the number of homeless veterans has increased. This statistic represents how many veterans are homeless and how much is not being done about it. According to Veteran's Inc, between 529,000 and 840,000 veterans are homeless at sometime during the year. This means that since 2006, the number of homeless veterans have doubled, possibly even quadrupled over the past few years. Homeless veterans make up a huge portion of the homeless
Our soldiers can’t afford the cost of living because they enrolled in the military at a young age. Adding a drug/alcohol free facility for our homeless veterans will reduce rates for everything. If we can’t take care of our own military personnel, who will ever want to serve for our country knowing they won’t get anything beneficial from it. The majority of our homeless veterans are males with the percent of 33. Even women are left homeless after returning home with a percentage of 10. The numbers for both male and female homelessness is said to rise as more people are enlisting into the service. People in today’s society take advantage of our soldiers and veterans. It’s very disrespectful knowing that there are veterans out there on the street and not one person will do anything. People need to start taking action to make a change. Without a change being made, soldiers are going to going to continue to be homeless and lack the care they need. (Cole para
“Homelessness continues to be a particularly troubling problem facing American society. Perhaps, even more troubling is the disproportionate share of veterans among the American homeless. Simply put, it is unconscionable that people who have often sacrificed a great deal in service to their country should face such deplorable circumstances upon their return to the home front. While the causes of homelessness among veterans are numerous and complex, research demonstrates that child support obligations play a major role in impeding the ability of homeless veterans to leave the streets and return to productive society.” (Berenson, 2011, Para.
Tunstall, L. (2009). Homelessness: an overview. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?hid=119&sid=d5f751fa-0d0d-4ed1-8deb-483e701af50c%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=Jmxhbmc9ZW4tY2Emc2l0ZT1wb3YtY2Fu#db=p3h&AN=28674966
Veteran homelessness must be attacked at multiple levels in order to ensure that it does not turn into a revolving door. So beyond simply providing temporary housing support we will also have to improve our veteran’s lives for the long-term. This entails treatment for their PTSD by providing them with access to health and wellness clinics, recovery resources, peer support groups, and individual counseling. (Note: Key information from HYPERLINK "http://www.voail.org" http://www.voail.org).
The homeless population is growing in America. There are more and more Americans living in boxes, sleeping on park benches and panhandling on the streets each day. These people tend to make us, the non-homeless, feel uncomfortable and unsafe. They are also placing increasing stress on the nation's economy. In short, the homeless are a burden on the rest of society. There needs to be action taken against them. "I shall now humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection (Swift.)" I propose that all of the homeless be relocated to foreign third world countries. They can then be hired in American factories producing shoes, automobiles and other various goods at less than one dollar per hour.
Many soldiers are on the verge of homelessness at some point in their life. There are more than 150,000 veterans that are homeless every day and more joining them. Homeless veterans are serious problem. They deserve better for serving their time and risking their lives for our country. 150,000 of the homeless are veterans this proves that there are a vast amount of homeless.
Veterans are viewed as the strongest people in the United States. They constantly deal with daily struggles such as disability and unemployment after their services. After serving in a branch of the United States military, many veterans have trouble finding work. While there are, at times, things that need to be overcome for veterans to be able to work, they are often skilled workers and deserve the opportunity to succeed in the civilian workplace.
Many people debate on weather homeless people should receive guidance or just be abandoned. Do homeless people deserve our service and to be supported, or are they just lazy individuals trying to take advantage of people? Homelessness is a growing dispute in cities. It has became an extensive problem for the community. Homelessness can not and should not be ignored. The number of homeless people in the United States is quickly growing. It seems like no one cares to help them. Even our heroes like police officers show no sympathy towards the homeless. “Homeless people appeared on the streets of Bucharest in 1990. Since then, their number and the problems created by this phenomenon have steadily increased in all major
As per the State Housing Authority, the issue and trend of homelessness has changed particularly throughout the most recent three decades. Public homelessness first turned into an issue in the 1970's and now it is normal to see individuals congregating before sanctuaries and thinking about park seats. Soup kitchens are generally stuffed to limit. Safe houses have multiplied their ability since 1993 and they dismiss individuals consistently because of absence of cots (Kenyon 1991). During 1987, Congress passed the Stewart B. Mckinney Homeless Ass...
We could give them a home to live in, and make sure they have everything they need to survive. In communities across America there are roughly 50,000 homeless veterans in America. I believe that men and women serving in the military should be better compensated for their service to this country (Shane). They are risking their lives for our freedom and should be better supported for their contributions.
Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every night. (Hunger and Homelessness in North America) By definition, the homeless are groups of people that do not have a home. They can be people who are mentally ill, unemployed, veterans, or even children born into unfortunate families. Since they have nowhere to go, the homeless usually live inside abandoned buildings, in the streets, or in makeshift homes, such as a cardboard box or homemade tent. Although some work to find a decent home, many still suffer from depression or are psychically disabled and cannot work. (Overview of Homelessness in America) These people do not choose to be homeless, instead they become homeless due to a series of unfortunate events; namely losing their source of income or becoming homeless by birth. One instance of this occurred in the life of Hazel Washington. Hazel was fleeing an abusive relationship when she moved in with her relative and his girlfriend, but she was not told about their impending eviction. Because of this, her roommates took everything she owned an...
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.