Homeless Veterans – A Shameful National Problem- Part 1

The men and women who have defended our nation in military service are becoming homeless at an alarming rate. This issue has the attention of the Department of Veterans Affairs, state level government agencies, and the White House as they work to try to fund and provide solutions to this nationwide problem.

The current number of homeless veterans or veterans who are receiving some type of emergency assistance to avoid losing their home is 50,000 (www.usatoday.com). That number of effected veterans has tripled since 2011, and is a shameful national issue.

An estimated 2.5 million American military service members served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them having been deployed for multiple tours of duty. This is a major difference between those wars and the previous wars the United States has been involved with where the service member did their tour and were sent home (www.usatoday.com).

This trend of multiple deployments caused the military service member to be separated from their families on multiple occasions. The experience of sending a loved one off to the perils of warfare just one time is traumatic for the spouse or partner, for parents of the service member, and for any children involved.

The emotional trauma suffered as a result of multiple deployments in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, increased the dissolution of the military family. The service members involved in those wars have had a higher rate of suicide, anxiety, depression, and other mental illness than those who have returned from other military conflicts. These issues have advanced the spiral into homelessness for these veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been very aggressive in their programmatic initiatives to aid homeless veterans as well as the emerging category known as “veterans at risk for homelessness”.

The VA program is allocated at $300 million per year to provide rent and utility assistance, mediation with landlords, moving expenses, child care, and transportation to veterans in need of these services (www.va.gov).

A Closer Look

A closer look at the demographics of the homeless veteran population reveals the following:

·        97% are male

·        Predominately Single

·        50% of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness

·        Two-thirds have alcohol or drug abuse issues

·        40% suffer from both mental or emotional issues and drug addiction

(www.military.com)

Another group of veterans are considered “at risk” for homelessness due to the following factors:

·        Poverty

·        Lack of family support system

·        Overcrowding and poor conditions in housing which is below standards

According to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR), and the VA Office of Inspector General 2012 Homeless Incidence Report the homeless veterans:

·        40% are African American or Hispanic as compared to the total veteran population which is 10.4% African American and 3.4% Latino. That is a staggering statistic regarding the racial demographics of homeless veterans

·        9% are between the ages of 18-30

·        41% are between the ages of 31-50

·        68% of homeless veterans are located in cities/urban areas

·        70% have substance abuse issues

The programs needed to combat the problem of homelessness in veterans must address a range of issues in order to be successful. The emotional and psychological trauma which veterans suffer with each day requires specific protocols in order to provide effective treatment.

A Complex Problem

The problem with addressing the high rate of homelessness with veterans is the complexity involved with the root causes. The perils of warfare and the multiple deployments which characterized the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan caused the deterioration of the family support system for the veterans.

The lack of family or friends as a support system further compounds the problem of homelessness because so many veterans in this group are young; 50% are younger than 50 years old.

In addition, the warfare that they survived is the root cause of the physical, emotional, and psychological conditions they are suffering with each day. Those issues are then compounded by many with substance abuse problems. All of these conditions require specific treatment programs in order to restore the veteran to good physical and mental health.

In many cases, these conditions need to be treated and a baseline for health needs to be established before these veterans can return to the workforce, or live independently with a successful outcome.

Furthermore, the rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention techniques which the VA would normally utilize in the past are largely ineffective with regard to the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans of these wars often return home with conditions which warrant the need for permanent housing and a variety of supportive services (www.endhomelessness.org).

Battling Homelessness: The role of the VA

The veterans of the U.S. armed forces have a committed advocate in the battle against homelessness with the VA taking on an increased role in their cause. In 2010, the Obama Administration set a goal of ending veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 (www.va.gov).

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number of homeless veterans in 2012 had decreased by 25%. The efforts of the federal and state governments and their non-profit partnerships have shown proof that their approach is working.

However, these programs still have a long way to go. The VA services the needs of approximately 100,000 homeless veterans or veterans “at risk” for being homeless every year. The VA programs represent the largest network of assistance programs for the homeless population in the United States.

Some estimates which take into account all of the funding spent for administration of the specific programs, to the continuing services needed for many of the veterans in these programs; estimate the VA expenditure for homeless and veterans “at risk” for homelessness at $1 billion per year.

The VA provides the veterans with the support and the care they need and they have the knowledge and expertise to handle the complexities of the rehabilitation process which is inherent in the veterans returning from combat.

The VA has a variety of programs, services, and events which are aimed at the homelessness issue with veterans including the following:

·        Outreach programs in shelters

·        Clinical services for the referral treatment of psychiatric issues including drug and alcohol abuse

·        Transitional residential programs including case management and rehabilitation services

·        Assisting with employment and programs for income support and permanent housing

·        Grant awards – VA awarded 400 grants to non-profit organizations and public institutions in 50 states and Washington D.C. to provide veterans with transitional housing, service centers, and transportation.

·        Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) – serves 40,000 veterans in 133 site locations. The program provides physical and psychiatric health exams, referrals to appropriate care providers, and ongoing case management.

·        Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) – provides medical care and rehabilitation in a residential setting on the grounds of VA medical centers throughout the U.S. with a total of 1,800 beds in 34 sites.

·        Benefits Assistance – veterans with no permanent address can get their benefit checks at VA regional offices. The VA uses this opportunity to provide outreach to the veteran and provide them with resources to improve their situation.

·        Acquired Property Sales – a program where the VA offers foreclosure VA-insured mortgage properties to homeless veterans at a discounted rate of 20-50% off the foreclosure price of the home.

·        Job Training Programs – program of vocational training which provides supervised therapeutic housing for veterans with psychiatric issues, physical disabilities, and drug or alcohol addiction issues.

·        Stand Downs – these are 1-3 day events which provide veterans with temporary shelter, food, clothing, and community support systems. Most of these events have health screenings available and referrals to long term care programs.

These are just some of the many programs available through the VA for homeless veterans, to learn more you can visit their website www.va.gov for contact information in your area.

Other organizations are also involved in this important effort, including the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. This group is holding a conference in May with 30 workshops and 80 panelists with expertise in all facets of this issue. In order to learn more you can visit their site at www.nchv.org for details.

In the second and final installment of this series, the homeless veteran population of New Jersey will be detailed including a look at the state level program there. The criticisms of the federal VA programs will be examined, and my observations on this issue as well as the future outlook of this issue will be explored.