Homeless veterans are more likely to die on the streets than non-veterans
It upsets me to no end when I read statistics stating there are roughly 131,000 homeless veterans in America. Why are there homeless veterans?! If the motto “leave no man behind” holds true, why has the US government and its citizens abandoned the very people who served their country and we the people 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.
I speak out on this subject as I see it and in good conscience it needs to be said
War is an act of murder at every level, and at every turn a criminal undertaking. Aggressive war is simply killing without just cause, and every war begun as self-defense has turned quickly into aggression at the first moment possible, usually the first day. In the case of the United States, no war is or has ever been about real self-defense, meaning every war was aggressive and criminal murder. The common people claim patriotism in order to hide from this truth, they claim national pride, which is nothing more than state worship, and they rally round the flag as if that could protect them from being complicit in the slaughter of innocents. Those who support aggressive war are simply immoral fools.
When any government or political power structure is in place, there is only one option to avoid war, and that is that none submit to the lies of the state, and none participate in the killing of others on orders. Those that would send the children of others to die in war should volunteer to die themselves, but they are the true cowards among us, and always hide in the shadows when the killing they caused begins. They are only capable of handing out medals posthumously to the families of those they used as fodder for their own benefit and political agendas. All in the Executive Branch, all in Congress, all in any fascist political partnerships that profit from war, and all those who claim false intelligence to stoke the fires of conflict, all these and more should be the first and only causalities of any war. No man of worth has the right to ask others to die in his stead for the state.
All war is immoral, illegitimate, and senseless, but due to government existence at every level, it is the lifeblood of the state. The power of the state lies in its ability to control all of society, for without that control, society would take care of itself, and would have no need for rulers or wars. But through fear, division, and greed, the people can be convinced to go along, and accept the lie that they are doing so voluntarily because they believe the absolute nonsense of “We the people.” This is the biggest lie of all.
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.
We must make choices in this life and at the end of the day some were good Others not so much but none the less the actions we take will effect some one most of all ourselves
“The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.”
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!
I have a deep rooted perspective on being homeless as I myself have found myself and my naval veteran wife of 32 years homeless many will think some how we caused this are selves but I assure you we did not But In regress so many times I have set in meetings town hall gatherings and any other forum I could get into t0o allow my voice to be heard and almost 100% of the time there is a group of citizens whom we seem to over look time and time again and that is our female veterans
Female Veterans Are Fastest Growing Segment of Homeless Veteran Population
When you think of homeless veterans, you may not immediately think of female vets. But the Department of Veterans Affairs says that women comprise the fastest-growing segment of the homeless veteran population.
In its 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimated that just over 40,000 veterans were homeless on a single night in January of that year. Of those, about 9% were women. From 2016 to 2017, the number of homeless female veterans increased by 7%, compared with 1% for their male counterparts.
In a 2016 report, the VA-funded National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans said the number of women identified by the program as homeless, or who accessed VA programs to end homelessness, tripled to 36,443 in a five-year period ending in 2015. That figure, according to the center, is projected to rise by about 9% to nearly 40,000 by 2025.
Many Homeless Female Veterans Don't Seek Assistance
Many homeless female veterans were victims of military sexual trauma and feel resentment toward the military and the VA, officials said. As a result, many do not identify themselves as being veterans. They tend to stay away from the organizations wishing to help them because they feel they were betrayed by that organization in the past, officials added.
According to the VA's National Center for PTSD, data from the VA's military sexual trauma screening program shows that about one in four women and one in 100 men say that they experienced sexual trauma or assault while in the military.
Homeless female veterans don't fit the stereotype of a homeless person living on the streets. Female homeless veterans often have children and tend to stay with family or friends temporarily.
Just as homeless male veterans often don't seek help because they were instilled with a sense of self-reliance and pride while in the military, female homeless veterans are often caregivers for their children and have a very hard time asking for help, officials said.
Using a Holistic Approach
On the campus of the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System in Leeds, Massachusetts, the department is taking a holistic approach to helping female veterans get back on their feet.
Nearly all of the center's residents experienced early childhood trauma, and more than 80% encountered military sexual trauma, officials said.
Treating the entire person -- mind, body and spirit -- helps female veterans regain their sense of self-worth and dignity, allowing them to transition back into the community, according to center personnel.
The facility's holistic program focuses on six dimensions of wellness: physical, social, emotional, occupational, spiritual and intellectual.
The residents have access to activities that provide peer-to-peer support: yoga, workouts, art therapy classes, walking clubs, and sessions on spirituality, goal setting and financial aid.
Social health is more important to a woman's healing process than it is to a man's, according to the center. The VA is realizing that and tailoring treatments as necessary.Till then we ask you to donate to the veterans project
Stay on Top of Your Veteran Benefits
http://josephfreedomoranarchy.blogspot.com/2014/07/veterans-project.html
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“It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies.” and many do but at a price of being placed on a watch list or to be detained hounded and arrested held and with out due process they are the heroes those whom have chosen to speak out at any cost from veterans to soldiers to the citizen STAND AND BE COUNTED Pro Deo et Constitutione – Libertas aut Mors Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Joseph F Barber
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