Why are SO MANY veterans homeless?

[PlainJane]

I rely solely on the VA for my care and I have had nothing but superior service and attention. Like anything else there are areas where it is a problem, but, the VA has been blanketly accused of being bad, it is not. In the past I lived in a city that had huge college owned and operated medical facilities that didn't give me half the service that the VA has. It is not a problem of not it being impossible to get, in this case it is the problem of people rejecting the services provided because it will cause pain to shake the habits.

My husband and father are both veterans. I am very familiar with the VA. I'm glad the facility where you live has their act together, but that has not been my experience. The VA here will do things like send out appointment notices, not reminders, after the appointment date has already passed. They do this so they can pretend you skipped the appointment instead of acknowledging that their own incompetence is why you missed it. A patient of the VA here, or anyone needing services in general, would have to be very persistent to get the care or services they need.

I also used to live in a place with widespread heroine addiction. I knew almost nothing about about drugs before living there, but now I can pretty well guess what someone is on. I've met many current addicts as well as those in recovery. I know many do not seek better living conditions because they do not want to give up their addiction, but that is not the only reason a veteran or anyone would find themselves homeless.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

You must have read that from a certain orange glowing leaders note pad. I don't think it would be anymore then 1% or 2% overall.
I have already addressed the incorrectness of the healthcare claim. If you don't go there and you don't ask for help you probably won't get it.

Maybe he will finally do something about this problem (unlike those before him!!)

 

[Nancyg56]

You must have read that from a certain orange glowing leaders note pad. I don't think it would be anymore then 1% or 2% overall.
I have already addressed the incorrectness of the healthcare claim. If you don't go there and you don't ask for help you probably won't get it.

No I dd not. I know quite a bit about hte VA healthcare system, and unfortunately it is not good for all.

If you can traipse back and forth to the VA facility for your care, and you are only in need of routine "upkeep", well great. If you have chronic illness, or have had a major tragedy occur, your are SH out of luck. It sucks.

Three of my sisters kids are military. 2 marines and one Coastie. My Marines served 5 tours in Iraq between the two of them, and God only knows what they saw. Tim made a point of staying in touch with his buddies, and had been attending weddings as each married. Last Spring as he was outside his hotel room alone, in a very nice section of Boston, he was shot for not handing two thugs his money. Let me just say that my brave nephew who served his country valiantly, deserved better care once he was released from the Boston hospital and sent home.

I could detail what I feel are unspeakable conditions that many vets endure once they are subject to VA care at home. I dont have many hills I am willing to die on, but this is one of them.

My husband and father are both veterans. I am very familiar with the VA. I'm glad the facility where you live has their act together, but that has not been my experience. The VA here will do things like send out appointment notices, not reminders, after the appointment date has already passed. They do this so they can pretend you skipped the appointment instead of acknowledging that their own incompetence is why you missed it. A patient of the VA here, or anyone needing services in general, would have to be very persistent to get the care or services they need.
.

Yes. I was speaking to a Vietnam Vet (I am in CT, and Malloy raided their fund that was all contributions and used to assist Vets in need) who,along with a very vocal group of like minded Veterans, advocate for those who have been underserved by the VA health care system. He was so appalled by the condition he found one young man in he told his wife to get him packed, and he along worth 4 other advocates, took him to a Washington Veterans hospital for treatment the next day. How can a Country ask someone to give up his leg serving, but then not care if the prosthetic fits?

The system is shameful.

 

[DVC-Don]

her point is, their lying., never served just pulling at heart strings

True in many cases of those you see on the roadsides with the cardboard signs saying homeless veteran. Where I live in upstate NY a woman who runs a veterans outreach center last summer took a couple of days and drove around and interviewed those that she saw. She said in a majority of the cases they were not veterans at all. She'd ask them about places served, units, etc. She really hates those who falsely claim to have served.

 

[cabanafrau]

I rely solely on the VA for my care and I have had nothing but superior service and attention. Like anything else there are areas where it is a problem, but, the VA has been blanketly accused of being bad, it is not. In the past I lived in a city that had huge college owned and operated medical facilities that didn't give me half the service that the VA has. It is not a problem of not it being impossible to get, in this case it is the problem of people rejecting the services provided because it will cause pain to shake the habits.

Well, again the homeless shelters are requiring the same thing that I did and that was sobriety. No matter what the problem the VA has either facilities or connections to help. They even reimburse for travel expense and have a scale that almost eliminates any out of pocket expense for medical care if lack of income is the issue. First one has to get them to go there and convince them that they want the help.

I think you would have to acknowledge that relying upon homeless shelters is nowhere near equivalent to the housing you described as being gratis in your state. I also wonder how easy it would have been for a veteran to qualify to reside in the home you owned and have his stay paid for, as in how many hoops needed to be jumped on their end to get the okay? I would imagine more than you were aware of on your end. No matter what, the set up you described as being so freely available is a far cry from relying upon a day to day existence in shelters where you have a spot from roughly 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. -- often in shelters that rotate their locations weekly. I've worked the weeks our church hosts several times. That lifestyle wears people down.

I caution you to consider that your experience is quite outside the norm most vets needing housing and medical care receive. It should also be kept in mind that military service and deployments in general may have some subtle changes since you served, increasing the problems newer veterans are facing. One thing is most certainly true, today's newest veterans returning to civilian life face an economy with far fewer entry level jobs accessible to those without degrees or marketable skills that pay a living wage than in the past. For these reasons and many more it's probably not appropriate to assume your path is accessible to today's returning service members.

 

[tvguy]

While some claiming to be Veterans are not, I'm not convinced that there are more Veterans who are homeless than there are Veterans in the general population. I don't think anyone one has found a "solution" to homelessness. I'm 59 and I have been aware of the homeless issue in my town for 50 years, and worked at the homeless shelter. I do know, that for a very wide variety of reasons, many homeless people do not like the "rules" (or restrictions) that come with many homeless assistance programs. So they don't take advantage of those services.

 

[Mizzoufan]

I believe as a country we are to concerned about the welfare of people in other countries instead of taking care of those that need the help here.

 

[Nancyg56]

I believe as a country we are to concerned about the welfare of people in other countries instead of taking care of those that need the help here.

I think that it is more complicated that this. There was a time when the Service was used as a punishment for young people rather than being sent to jail, or as a means of securing a higher education. As a person who grew up during the Vietnam War, I was shocked at the lack of respect our service men and women received and their health care reflected that. I think that on some level their is still that disdain for our military men and women, and those entrusted with ensuring that their care turn a blind eye to the reality they face upon their return home. As was posted above, the disparity of heath services is hard to understand unless you have experienced it.

I am not sure that we can compare apples to apples when it comes to welfare around the World to the health and welfare we are in paying for in this country but that because of bureaucracy may not be applied efficiently or in an economically sound manner. I think the money is there, but by the time it filters down to those in need, it has been been watered down thru each step....

 

[PlainJane]

I think that it is more complicated that this. There was a time when the Service was used as a punishment for young people rather than being sent to jail, or as a means of securing a higher education. As a person who grew up during the Vietnam War, I was shocked at the lack of respect our service men and women received and their health care reflected that. I think that on some level their is still that disdain for our military men and women, and those entrusted with ensuring that their care turn a blind eye to the reality they face upon their return home. As was posted above, the disparity of heath services is hard to understand unless you have experienced it.

I am not sure that we can compare apples to apples when it comes to welfare around the World to the health and welfare we are in paying for in this country but that because of bureaucracy may not be applied efficiently or in an economically sound manner. I think the money is there, but by the time it filters down to those in need, it has been been watered down thru each step....

My dad is a Vietnam veteran. When he was working he was even told to his face veteran's were not being considered for a position he was interested in. He was frustrated many a time that the guys who didn't sign up, number wasn't called, or avoided the draft some other way would always be ahead of him professionally even though they were the same age and had the same education. The guys who didn't go would sometimes then turn around and openly discriminate against veterans. Now it's illegal to do so, so people will keep their thoughts to themselves, but that doesn't mean the same biases no longer exist.

 

[cabanafrau]

I think that it is more complicated that this. There was a time when the Service was used as a punishment for young people rather than being sent to jail, or as a means of securing a higher education. As a person who grew up during the Vietnam War, I was shocked at the lack of respect our service men and women received and their health care reflected that. I think that on some level their is still that disdain for our military men and women, and those entrusted with ensuring that their care turn a blind eye to the reality they face upon their return home. As was posted above, the disparity of heath services is hard to understand unless you have experienced it.

I am not sure that we can compare apples to apples when it comes to welfare around the World to the health and welfare we are in paying for in this country but that because of bureaucracy may not be applied efficiently or in an economically sound manner. I think the money is there, but by the time it filters down to those in need, it has been been watered down thru each step....

I don't know that there is necessarily a prevailing attitude of disdain today in regards to those who serve in our military as much as I chalk a lot of it up to being largely unaware of the hardships and sacrifices required to perform that service. I think a lot of us don't really appreciate how difficult service can make relationships and family life. I also think a lot of people assume that many who serve and return to civilian life without injury or massive, obvious injury were paid for their time and should simply move on and get on like everyone else, never understanding how impactful their service may have been to their mind and bodies in ways we don't see. And in many ways today Americans don't see ourselves as having been a nation truly at war for quite some time and the battles being fought are just blips on the news cycle, not truly big battles like we think of for WWII or Vietnam, etc. Today's vets are largely victims of our ignorance and apathy in many ways. That's a shame.

 

[gwynne]

Yes to al of the above.

When my nephew returned home after two tours in Iraq he could not stand to be enclosed. He worked for over 5 years on a crab fishing boat. Then as a framer. He has family support but can you imagine those who do not? They come home to no one, have skills that most employers have no need of, and are dealing with stresses most of us cannot imagine.

I am not sure that the number is accurate, but I have read that 25% of veterans are homeless.

And do not get me started on their healthcare.

25%??? No way, no how, not possible. I would like to see the source. I'm thinking it's quite possible they are using veterans to rake in cash.

 

[Nancyg56]

25%??? No way, no how, not possible. I would like to see the source. I'm thinking it's quite possible they are using veterans to rake in cash.

25%??? No way, no how, not possible. I would like to see the source. I'm thinking it's quite possible they are using veterans to rake in cash.

I dont have a source. I was repeating what I had read but I would be lying if I said that I could tell you where.

 

[wvjules]

I dont have a source. I was repeating what I had read but I would be lying if I said that I could tell you where.

Ummm if you read it then what you read is the source.

 

[Nancyg56]

Ummm if you read it then what you read is the source.

Let me rephrase. I do not have a source in that I cannot remember where I read it. I read somewhere that 1 in 4 vets are homeless. I would be lying if I said I could remember where I read this. I wish I could remember. Feel free to discount my post.

 

[DisneyHardin]

25%??? No way, no how, not possible. I would like to see the source. I'm thinking it's quite possible they are using veterans to rake in cash.

Maybe the statistic is 25% of homeless people are veterans instead of 25% of Veterans are homeless. That would make more sense.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

From 2015:
http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/fact-sheet-veteran-homelessness

 

[Mirielle]

From 2015:
http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/fact-sheet-veteran-homelessness

Eye opening for me. Things aren't the way I had "assumed" they were in America.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My cousin who is a severe schizophrenic was able to get into a group home in his 40's. My mom and sister went and helped my aunt out because her sister (the mother) was doing nothing. Finally the police were involved and when she had my cousin OUT of the house, she went to court and he went into the system.

I do not know how he is doing but he is still at the home and alive so that is good. Otherwise he would be homeless terrorizing my aunt.

 

[kathyk2]

There is a lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities while veterans do get priority the waiting lists are very long. I've helped people with disabilities fill out housing applications and it is very frustrating.

 

[cabanafrau]

There is a lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities while veterans do get priority the waiting lists are very long. I've helped people with disabilities fill out housing applications and it is very frustrating.

So in fact there aren't ample supplies of beds going empty that the government would pay for if only vets in need would apply?