Why Are There Homeless Veterans In America?

Why Are There Homeless Veterans In America?




It upsets me to no end when I read statistics stating there are roughly 131,000 homeless veterans in America.When the truth of the matter is in 2014 Point-in-Time (PIT) count revealed that there were approximately 49,933 homeless Veterans on a single night in January 2014 in the United States.  For the Veterans Project, even one Veteran without safe and stable housing is one too many.and that is why veterans project was started to help Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Why are there homeless veterans?! If the motto “leave no man behind” holds true, why has the US government abandoned the very people who served their country the most?

Whether you've served in the military for 1 year or 20 years, veterans  should be able to count on the government for the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter.  The government needs to provide maximum support for those wishing to transition to the private sector with job placement and continued training.

GOOD SOLDIERS

There’s no mandatory draft now, so it’s important to realize every single military participant is voluntary.  Who is braver than those who enlist to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq?  Nobody!  We are reminded of their bravery today, but we should be aware every single day of their service to our country.

One of my closest in-laws lives near the poverty line in another state because he cannot find work in his trade (carpenter/electrician).  He served in the army for two years and was told before he enlisted that he would always be taken care of.  His back hurts, and he has arthritis at 62 years old.  We try and help him every month where we can, but we are not rich people and can’t support him indefinitely.  We try and contact the VA on his behalf to see if they can help him look for work and provide medical coverage.  They cannot.  He’s just *this* many years too young to start receiving benefits.  We cross our fingers every day hoping nothing happens to him.

A POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE

Just to get a better perspective, I asked a US Air Force serviceman friend of 6.5 years how the government treated him when he served.  His experience was positive, but highlights areas of improvement.

“Based on my military experience I think the government and military take great care of their troops while they are still in the service, and very good care of military retirees. Of course there are outliers, but the majority of veterans who fall in those 2 categories have a solid support network and many programs and benefits to help them get by.

The group of veterans who seem to fall through the cracks are those who serve less than 20 years, which is the minimum amount required to receive a military pension and retiree benefits. Many veterans are not prepared to leave the military and enter the civilian world and there is not enough done to give them the proper training and information regarding benefits they are eligible to receive once they separate.The problem can be exacerbated for those with little formal education or service related disabilities, post traumatic stress disorder, and other service related problems.”

This goes back to my original statement: Whether you’ve served in the military for 1 year, or 20 years, veterans should be able to receive benefits from the government.  Patrick has since started a website especially for military folks called Military Finance Network to help out his fellow veterans.  Please have a look if you are a military personnel or veteran seeking personal financial advice!

SOLUTION: GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE + INCREASED AWARENESS

The US government spent roughly $45 billion dollars bailing out Citibank in 2009.  Citibank then turns around and raises salaries for all their senior executives by 50% the same year.  Come on now.  If the government just spent $13.1 billion dollars, they could allocate $100,000 to each homeless veteran for housing, food, medical attention, and education and get them back on their feet.  Someone please tell me why the government is unwilling to do this? Maybe they do spend billions?  I really need to understand.

My generation of war is the war on terror.  My father fought in Vietnam and my grandfather was a captain in the second world war.  He shared with me a great many stories before he passed away.  I feel like somewhat of a dud because I have no military experience.  But, what I do have is a voice, through this site and beyond.  Hopefully this post raises awareness there is a serious amount of veterans abandoned who need help!  Please spread the word!

ACTION: Please write to the White House HERE,http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ to voice your concerns.  It only took me 2 minutes.

Keigu,

Sam

Posted by Financial Samurai

http://josephfreedomoranarchy.blogspot.com/2014/07/donate-and-support-veterans-project_30.html