Why are Veterans homeless?

The military veterans who risk their lives to protect our country and our freedoms are currently at a higher risk of being homeless than civilians are.  This should not be the case.  Military members may suffer from injuries or mental illnesses, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which often pushes them toward alcohol and substance abuse, and then towards homelessness.  It can be very difficult for them to transition into civilian life.  Much of the skills they obtained in the Military cannot be translated into a degree or qualification for a civilian job, and there is a stigma that makes employers hesitant to hire veterans, out of fear that a mental illness or injury will affect their ability to work.  These veterans are returning from war and being left on the streets, unemployed and alone.  

There are programs that work to help veterans; however,  this issue still remains a big one, because there is a lack of communication and collaboration between the many programs, and veterans can get lost in the system, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to get the benefits they are entitled to, and sometimes just as difficult to even understand the resources they have to turn to.  Military members need regular mental health screenings, greater access to counselors, job training that can be applicable outside of the military, and guided transition plans for life after the military in order to prevent homelessness from happening.  Veterans need better mental health care, increased access to support and benefits, and follow up treatment and care to ensure that ongoing needs are met as well as multi-agency collaboration to make sure no veteran slips through the cracks or gets lost in the system.  The best thing the government can do is to stop expanding the departments that help veterans, and instead work on reforming the ones that currently exist.  

What Can Be Done?

Active Military Members

One of the best ways to reduce homelessness among veterans is to provide military service members with the resources and training to prevent them from ever reaching that point.  Active duty members should have job training certifications that can be transferred into a civilian job along with transition plans,  increased access to counselors, and regular mental health screenings after deployments. 

Veterans

There are many benefits and programs available to help veterans, but the problem is still bigger than it should be.   Funding needs to be allocated with greater emphasis on health care, particularly mental health care.  One of the biggest underlying problems associated with homeless veterans is mental health issues.  Whether it is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, or anything else, it can be a major hindrance on the veteran’s life, and the right care and supervision can help minimize this.   In order to increase access to resources and benefits, there needs to be multi-agency and community collaboration.  Ideally there should be one large network of resources within which organizations can work to provide for every need, rather than having multiple agencies and groups trying to do the same thing, and only helping a handful of veterans.  Once this is accomplished, everything else will follow.  Organizations can work together to increase access to housing, provide more benefits, and provide the needed care.  There should also be a special network of employers who are willing to hire and accommodate wounded veterans.  

Public

            The most important things that the public can do to help veterans is to raise awareness about the issue as well as to work to change the reputation of veterans in the civilian workforce.  Many people, including military personnel, are not aware of how big the issue of veteran homelessness is.  Bringing attention to the issue will help push organizations to collaborate and do more.  Additionally it will bring the issue to the attention of employers.  If more employers are aware of the incentives for hiring veterans, then efforts can be made to better the reputation of veterans in the workforce.  This issue should be at the front of the congressional agenda because it affects the heroes who risk their life to fight for our freedom.  Donations and supporting veterans programs is a tremendous way to ensure that the public is reaching the veterans who need it most therefore improving their quality of life. Also making others are aware of the many ways they can support their veteran organizations, businesses, etc., families in their time of need.

Conclusion

The military veterans who risk their lives to protect our country and our freedoms are currently at a higher risk of being homeless than civilians are.  This should not be the case.  Military members may suffer from injuries or mental illnesses, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,which often push them toward alcohol and substance abuse, and then towards homelessness.  It can be very difficult for them to transition into civilian life.  Much of the skills they obtained in the Military cannot be translated into a degree or qualification for a civilian job, and there is a stigma that makes employers hesitant to hire veterans, out of fear that a mental illness or injury will affect their ability to work.  These veterans are returning from war and being left on the streets, unemployed and alone.  There are programs that work to help veterans; however,  the issue still remains a big one.  This is because there is a lack of communication and collaboration between the many programs, and veterans can get lost in the system, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to get the benefits they are entitled to, or even to understand the resources they have to turn to.  Military members need regular mental health screenings, greater access to counselors, job training that can be applicable outside of the military, and guided transition plans for life after the military in order to prevent homelessness from happening.  Veterans need better mental health care, increased access to support and benefits, and follow up treatment and care to ensure that ongoing needs are met as well as multi-agency collaboration to make sure no veteran slips through the cracks or gets lost in the system.  The best thing the government can do is to stop expanding the departments that help veterans, and instead work on reforming the ones that currently exist.  

#community #team