Homeless Veterans in the United States
Homeless
veterans are persons who have served in the armed forces who are homeless or
living without access to secure and appropriate accommodation.
Background Many
of these veterans suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety
disorder that often occurs after extreme emotional trauma involving threat or
injury. Causes of homelessness include: Disabilities - physical injury
or mental illness. Substance abuse - drug abuse or alcoholism. Family
breakdown. Joblessness and poverty. Lack of low cost housing. Government
policy. Demographics.
Veteran
homelessness in America is not a phenomenon only of the 21st century; as early
as the Reconstruction Era, homeless veterans were among the general homeless
population. In 1932, homeless veterans were part of the Bonus Army. In 1934,
there were as many as a quarter million veterans living on the streets. During
the Truman Administration, there were one hundred thousand homeless veterans in
Chicago, and a quarter of that number in Washington, D.C. In 1987, the number
of homeless veterans was as high as three hundred thousand.
Estimates of
the homeless population vary as these statistics are very difficult to obtain. In
2007, the first veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan and
Operation Iraqi Freedom began to be documented in homeless shelters. By 2009
there were 154,000 homeless, with slightly less than half having served in
South Vietnam. According to the VA in
2011, veterans made up 14% of homeless adult males, and 2% of homeless adult
females, and both groups were overrepresented within the homeless population
compared to the general population. The overall count in 2012 showed 62,619 homeless
veterans in the United States. In January 2013, there were an estimated 57,849
homeless veterans in the U.S., or 12% of the homeless population. Just under 8% were female. In July 2014, the
largest population of homeless veterans lived in Los Angeles County, with there
being over 6,000 homeless veterans, out of the total estimated 54,000 homeless
within that area. In 2015, a report
issued by HUD counted over 47,000 homeless veterans nationwide, the majority of
whom were White and male. In 2016, there were over 39,000 homeless veterans
nationwide. A Corps in terms of military
size. As of January 2017, the state of California had the highest number of
veterans experiencing homelessness. There were an estimated 11,472 homeless
veterans. The biggest population of homeless veterans, after California, in
2017 lived in Florida - an estimated 2,817, and in Texas - 2,200. In April
2019, the U.S. had a homelessness population of over 630,000 with 67,000 being
veterans of the armed forces.
Aid Many
programs and resources have been implemented across the United States in an
effort to help homeless veterans. Among the prominent are: National
Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Veterans Community Project, United
States Department of Veteran Affairs, United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development, The American Legion, National
Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, Veterans of America,
HUD-VASH, a housing voucher program by the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Administration, gives out a certain
number of Section 8 subsidized housing vouchers to eligible homeless and
otherwise vulnerable U.S. Armed Forces veterans.
Historical In
1887, the Sawtelle Veterans Home was constructed to care for disabled veterans,
and housed more than a thousand homeless veterans. Other such old soldiers'
homes were built throughout the United States, such as the one in New York. These homes
became the predecessors of the Veteran Affairs' medical facilities.
Risk Factors
According to a study in 2014, veterans are slightly more likely than
non-veterans to be homeless; 9.7% of the general population are veterans, but
12.3% of the homeless population are veterans. These risk factors were found by
using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA). This is the first systemic review to summarize research on risk
factors for US veterans experiencing homelessness. They evaluated thirty-one
studies from 1987 through 2014. The risk factors that are most common among
this population are substance abuse disorders and poor mental health, followed
by low income and other income related issues, a lack of support from family
and friends, or weak social networks.
Supportive
Housing for Veterans Compared to Non-Veterans The needs between veterans
and non-veterans experiencing homelessness can differ. A study was implemented
by the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness (CICH) in 2004
by the Interagency Council on Homelessness. They used eleven sites around the
United States tracked data for one year by comparing 162 chronically homeless
veterans to 388 chronically homeless non-veterans. Both groups were
enrolled in a national supported housing initiative over a one-year period and
several differences were noted. The first was that the veterans tended to be
from an older age group, identified as male, and were more likely to have
completed high school. While in enrolled in supported housing, the mental
health of both groups improved through mental health services offered. However,
veterans were reported to make greater use of the outpatient mental health services
compared to non-veterans. Both groups also gradually reduced the use of health
services once housing was obtained, therefore, this suggests that the program
is effective in reducing clinical needs among chronically homeless of adults in
general.
Department
of Veterans Affairs On November 3, 2009, United States Secretary Eric K.
Shinseki spoke at the National Summit on Homeless Veterans and announced his
plan. Along with President Barack Obama, Shinseki outlined a comprehensive
five-year plan to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs and its efforts
to end veteran homeless. The goal was to
end veteran homelessness by 2015, but because of budget constraints that has
now been pushed to 2017. The plan focused on prevention of homelessness along
with help for those living on the streets. The plan would expand mental health
care and housing options for veterans, and would collaborate with: The
Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and
Urban Development, Small Business Administration, U.S.
Interagency Council on Homelessness, State directors of veterans affairs,
Veteran service organizations, National, state, and local social
service providers and community groups The prominent role of the
Department of Veterans Affairs and its joined up approach to veteran welfare
help to distinguish the US response to veteran homelessness internationally.
Still, associated programmes are not without their difficulties. For example,
in 2009, call centers were established in order to assist homeless veterans to
gain assistance. As of December 2014, of the 79,500 veterans who contacted the
call center, 27% were unable to speak to a counselor, and 47% of referrals led
to no support services provided to the homeless veteran. A study published in
the American Journal of Addiction showed a link between veterans' trauma of
mental disorders and their substance abuse.
Housing
Interventions with Veterans A study conducted by O’Connell, Kasprow and
Rosenheck is a secondary analysis of data from the evaluation of the HUD-VASH
initiative that began in 1992 to provide housing for veterans with psychiatric
disorders. They compared the results of three kinds of interventions with 460
veterans across nineteen sites in the country. They were assigned to three
groups; one group was given a voucher and intensive case management, one group
was given intensive case management only, and one group was given standard care
only. Intensive case management included help locating an apartment, while
standard care which consisted of short-term broker case management provided by
the Health Care for Homeless Veterans outreach workers. An evaluation assistant
conducted follow up interviews every three months for up to five years. Through
that they found that individuals in the intensive case management group had
lower scores on quality of life which was measured by the Lehman Quality of
Life Interview. This is a structured questionnaire to assess the life
circumstances of persons with severe and persistent mental illness.
Studies of
Housing First for Veterans To end homelessness among veterans, new
resources and program expansions were introduced. One of the goals set by the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Veterans Affairs Supportive
Housing (HUD-VASH) is to place veterans experiencing homelessness in permanent
housing. A housing first approach has been introduced to help support this
initiative. One of the goals of Housing First is the rapid placement of
veterans to directly from the streets to a permanent home. The Housing
First approach works with the HUD supplying housing assistance through a
voucher program while the VA provides case management and supportive services
through its healthcare system.[38] By having permanent housing, there is a
decrease in the usage of shelters, hospitals and correctional facilities. This
program is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.
A study by
Montgomery, Hill, Kane and Culhane was a demonstration that was initiated in
2010 and studied the housing methods in the United States for homeless
veterans. They evaluated the efficiency of the Housing First (HF) approach
compared to a Treatment as Usual (TAU) approach. HF targeted those were
experiencing street homelessness while TAU served more women and families.
Veterans placed in HF were offered services such as social workers, vocational
trainers, a housing specialist and access to a psychiatrist. Most importantly, HF would issue a housing
voucher at the time of lease signing for pre-inspected apartments which were
maintained by a contractor. Veterans in the TAU approach received the standard
VA case management services for HUD-VASH. In TAU, they remained at their current
placement, which could sometimes include an emergency shelter, or they were
placed in transitional housing or residential treatment programs. The study
found that the HF has the most effective model in accessing permanent housing
and has shown efficiency in reducing rates of homelessness with veterans.[39]
Compared to TAU, HF was more successful at quickly moving veterans into
permanent housing, their moving process took approximately one month while the
TAU approach took about six months. The
housing retention rate for HF was 98% and 86% for TAU, meaning that those using
the HF model were more likely to maintain housing stability.
Charity In
addition to government provided aid, private charities provide assistance to
homeless veterans as well. These include
providing some homeless veterans vehicles to live in, and building permanent
housing for others. Advocating for the rights of homeless veterans through
policy implementation and recommendations. Throughout the nation, multiple
organizations and agencies host "Stand Down" events where homeless
veterans are provided items and services; the first of these was held in San
Diego, organized by Vietnam veterans, in 1988.
Ending
Veteran Homelessness In November 2009, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Eric K. Shinseki set out the goal of ending veterans experiencing homelessness
by 2017. While not all veterans are
housed, the current housing initiatives such as the housing first model are
ensuring that housing is obtained for a larger portion of veterans experiencing
homelessness. In 2019, the HUD-VASH program was able to house more than 11,000
veterans. Overall, since 2008, more than 114,000 veterans experiencing
homelessness have been served through the HUD-VASH program. Also, more
resources are being implemented to assist with mental health and addiction. As
of 2019, more than 78 communities and the entire states of Connecticut,
Delaware and Virginia have effectively ended homelessness among veterans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeless_veterans_in_the_United_States
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