Homeless Veterans in America

 How Homeless Veterans are treated in America

 Have you ever been walking down the street and seen someone begging for money, clothes, food or help? This is a big issue in todays society with many people including America's veterans. Veterans fight so hard and risk their lives for our freedoms and yet they come home to a country that leaves them to fend for themselves in the cold. It's time that America does something to stop to it's veterans from living on the streets.

Homeless
Homeless Veteran 

How Veterans become homeless

Veterans, unlike normal civilians, face a more difficult time seeking affordable housing. Members of the armed forces are often deployed a lot of the time, so getting housing is often a struggle for most veterans. Many veterans lack the support they need to find help or affordable housing so they have to resort to living on the streets. Veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than other civilians due to the lack of resources and the level of poverty they face. 1 out of every 5 veterans are living alone and have nobody to help support them. 1.5 million Veterans are below the poverty line which makes them more prone to be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. About half a million veterans pay more than 50% of their income to rent. This puts them at a greater risk of becoming homeless because they cannot afford to live in their apartments or houses.

 How Many Veterans are Homeless?

8% of Americans are considered to be Veterans. 17% of the entire homeless population is made up of veterans. A survey taken in 2010 by the Department of Veteran Affairs said that on any given night there were up to 76,000 veterans sleeping on the streets. This number needs to be reduced significantly. Veterans risk their lives for our freedom and they come back and have no place to go. The majority of Homeless veterans are between the ages of 18 and 30 and are two times more likely to become homeless than other Americans in that same age range. The number of homeless veterans is on the rise and more and more veterans are coming home with no place to go and are struggling financially. 

How Bad is the Problem?

Many people do not know just how severe the problem of homeless veterans is. Some may say that Veterans make up a small portion of the homeless population but even though homeless veterans make up 17% of the homeless population they are more likely to become homeless than an American that is not a veteran. Veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless "due to lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing."(Greendoors) 

About Homeless Veterans

About 96% of homeless veterans are men who are single and come from areas that are poverty stricken. Homeless veterans consist of people from many cultural backgrounds but 56% of the homeless veteran population consist of African American or Hispanic people. After coming back from war many veterans are disabled or have some sort of heath issue. 53% of veterans living on the streets have some sort of disability from serving in the military.

Disabled Veteran

Others suffer from other things such as alcohol or drug problems. Veterans tend to remain homeless longer than any other group of homeless people and average about 6 years of being homeless before receiving help or getting off the streets.

How to get Help For Homeless Veterans

There are ways to get off the street as a homeless veteran. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs gives help to those in need after coming back from war. They help provide food, clothing and shelter to those who served.  They also provide financial assistance and loans to veterans who are in need. They also "provide job assistance to veterans who are looking for work".(VA) Although the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs tries to help all homeless veterans they cannot help them all. According to an article posted by Greendoors.org " an estimated 500,000 veterans homeless at some time during the year, the VA reaches 20% of those in need, leaving 400,000 veterans without supportive services." (Greendoors) 400,000 of Americas veterans went without help and were forced to live on the streets. This is a major problem in America because the men and women who sacrifice so much to defend our freedoms come back and do not even have a roof over their head. It's time that America does something to prevent homeless veterans from living on the streets.



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