Homeless Veterans – An Overview of the Problem

Homeless Veterans – An Overview of the Problem

There is a Problem and the VA is not stepping up to the plate to address it.
It should be obvious by now that our homeless veterans are not being served well at all.  If the homeless veterans were properly cared for by our country, the total homeless population would fall by more than 40 percent over night.  

Homeless services would then have sufficient funding to move many of the rest of the homeless off the streets into transitional housing with services that bring them back into the working population.   It would be a dream come true.  If only our country would step up to the plate, homelessness in our country would be virtually eliminated.  If only….

Lets Summarize the Homeless Veteran Situation. 

750,000 total homeless count in U.S
400,000  veterans are homeless at some time in a  year
200,000 veterans homeless in any one night

27% of our male U.S. population are veterans but:
43% of all homeless males are veterans – why?


7688 beds funded by the VA for homeless veterans
192,312 sleeping elsewhere – shelters, grates, creekbeds, back alleys.    We have Heroes sleeping on sidewalks in every big city.

The VA says homelessness is not related to military service, but:

Veterans are twice as likely to be homeless than civilians

You may think that homeless veterans served poorly in military, but:

95% of homeless vets have honorable discharges

The VA claims it has the largest network of homeless assistance programs in the country, but:

Total VA funding is only $1.37 per homeless vet per day.
VA funded beds provide for only 1 of every 26 homeless vets
VA funds only 7688 beds for 200,000 homeless veterans on any given night of the year.

Current (2007) grants cover only 1 bed per 192 mentally ill homeless veterans, and allocates only 14 cents a day per mentally ill veteran.  Fifteen states get none of these grant monies, 15 more get grants for one organization in the state, and 20 get the bulk of the funding.

The VA announced a 20% reduction in homeless vets over the last 6 years, but failed to say it was due to the way they count them.  The number they reported hasn’t changed in the last four years.  During the same period, more than 23% of our Vietnam vets died.

The mix of homeless veterans has changed in the last 9 years
                        1997             2006
Korea               1o%               4%           almost gone
Vietnam           42%              39%           dying out
Gulf War          10%              16%           rapidly increasing

Our Korean veterans are getting old and dying out
Our Gulf War veterans are increasing rapidly
Our Vietnam veterans have the largest homeless rate by far.

Fact:  If our country stepped up to the plate and provided for our homeless veterans,  the homeless population would fall instantly by 43 percent.


Heroes don’t deserve
to be treated like this!
Write your Congressman!

Ans support veterans project@http://fnd.us/c/4rf4d/sh/d405ba