We read this report on CNN on July 2, 2008, with shock although the Monarch Housing Blog! has reported on this issue previously. To read the full article click here. To read our prior posts on this subject click here.
The key points made in the article are:
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More veterans are facing a new enemy on the nation’s streets
Veterans make up almost a quarter of homeless population
Homeless rate among veterans expected to rise
The following is a few of the crucial sections.
Veterans make up almost a quarter of the homeless population in the United States. The government says there are as many as 200,000 homeless veterans; the majority served in the Vietnam War. Some served in Korea or even World War II. About 2,000 served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Officials say many more Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer post-traumatic stress disorder than veterans of previous wars. The government says PTSD is one of the leading causes of homelessness among veterans.
“They come back, and they are having night trauma, they are having difficulty sleeping. They are feeling alienated,” says Peter Dougherty, the director of homeless programs for the VA.
The VA says 70 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan saw some form of combat, either through firefights, rocket attacks or the most common strikes on troops — roadside bomb attacks on their vehicles.
That is three times the rate of combat experienced by Vietnam veterans, according to the VA.
To read the full article click here.
To read our prior posts on this subject click here.
Tags: Ending Homelessness, homeless-veterans, ptsd, VA
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