Introduction
In the United States homeless has been an ongoing problem with there being thousands of people without homes, jobs, and adequate health care. A percentage of those people are military veterans who fought for our country. The Veterans Affairs Department has done countless studies to try to figure out why they are falling victim of homelessness. In this paper, I will give an in-depth look at the causes, treatment, and after care of homeless veterans. Looking at war history to see if maybe there is a link to being on the street, looking at the mental health, substance abuse, and the treatment of these men and women who have giving all to keep us free. This paper will look at war history, Mental Health/Substance Abuse/ Health Problems, Care and Treatment for Veterans and after care for homeless veterans.
War History
Veterans have fought for this country for many wars. When the veterans returned from World War one and World War two, they were greeted as heroes. They were given the best treatments available and people took notice if they were struggling. Research has found that Veterans are at an increased risk for homelessness since 1975 following the Vietnam War (Tsai, Mares, & Rosenheck, 2012 B).During the Vietnam War, there was so much turmoil. Vietnam exposed the veterans to longer combat and death of so many people. People protested the war; they did not want our troops to be involved. When the veterans returned they were treated like second-class citizens because people felt they sold out for fighting this war. People spit on them, yelled names at them, and really bullied them. This war was longer than the other wars so they had more exposer to combat. The veterans were forgotten and slipped through the cracks and ...
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“Homelessness continues to be a particularly troubling problem facing American society. Perhaps, even more troubling is the disproportionate share of veterans among the American homeless. Simply put, it is unconscionable that people who have often sacrificed a great deal in service to their country should face such deplorable circumstances upon their return to the home front. While the causes of homelessness among veterans are numerous and complex, research demonstrates that child support obligations play a major role in impeding the ability of homeless veterans to leave the streets and return to productive society.” (Berenson, 2011, Para.
Although homelessness and mental illness are two separate experiences, they have similar starts. Those that suffer from infantile misfortune are probable to becoming homeless by the time they are adults and could have physical or mental health difficulties (Montgomery et al. S265). Having a history of abuse, being a woman, and long periods of homelessness are big factors in the development of a mental illness (Helfrich et al. 116). The victimization state of mind experienced by many homeless is detrimental in why they cannot cope with their current situation. This also means that they could focus too much on one thing and become hysterical or paranoid. Witnessing a traumatic event is increased by homelessness and is more likely to cause mental disorders (qtd. in Helfrich et al. 116). Illnesses like PTSD are linked directly to the victim seeing a traumatic scene (Helfrich et al...
“states that the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 9% being female. The majority are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans.
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Many believe that a common thread among the homeless is a lack of permanent and stable housing. But beyond that, the factors leading to homelessness and the services that are needed are unique according to the individual. To put them into one general category ? the homeless- suggests that people are homeless for similar reasons and therefore a single solution is the answer. Every homeless person shares the basic needs of affordable housing, adequate incomes and attainable healthcare. But a wide range of other unmet needs cause some people to become or remain homeless which include drug treatment, employment training, transportation, childcare and mental health services (Center 8.)
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Our soldiers can’t afford the cost of living because they enrolled in the military at a young age. Adding a drug/alcohol free facility for our homeless veterans will reduce rates for everything. If we can’t take care of our own military personnel, who will ever want to serve for our country knowing they won’t get anything beneficial from it. The majority of our homeless veterans are males with the percent of 33. Even women are left homeless after returning home with a percentage of 10. The numbers for both male and female homelessness is said to rise as more people are enlisting into the service. People in today’s society take advantage of our soldiers and veterans. It’s very disrespectful knowing that there are veterans out there on the street and not one person will do anything. People need to start taking action to make a change. Without a change being made, soldiers are going to going to continue to be homeless and lack the care they need. (Cole para
The United States Department of Veteran Affairs is a government entity in which provides health care, general benefits, services and assistance with burials and memorials to all veterans (Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], 2013). However, there are smaller divisions within the VA that cater to certain interest groups such as women, minorities, homeless and disabled. In focusing on homeless African American women veterans, we are able to examine the policies and programs that cater three of the four interest groups simultaneously. The policies that we will be examining in relation to this group are women veterans’ health policy and homeless women veterans’ policy.
Gulcur, Leyla, Padgett, Deborah K., and Tsemberis, Sam. (2006). “Housing First Services for People Who Are Homeless with Co-Occurring Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse.” Research on Social Work Practice, Vol 16 No. 1.
Veterans had a hard time finding employment after the war. Employers considered a veteran’s service in the Vietnam War as evidence of drug addiction, and refused to hire them. The rejections only made the soldier’s struggles adjusting back to normal life even harder and encouraged their drinking and drug use. These harmful habits were their way of coping with the hate and rejection from society while still helping them forget their experiences in Vietnam. Veterans from the Vietnam War were the victims of an unprepared government.
Hudson, Angela L., and Karabi Nandy. "Comparisons of Substance Abuse, High-risk Sexual Behavior and Depressive Symptons Among Homeless youth with and without a History of Foster Care Placement." EBSCOhost. EBSCO, Oct 2012. Web.11 Dec.2013.
Substance abuse is both a cause and a result of homelessness. Abusing the use of alcohol and drugs has led to some people that the use of alcohol and drugs is an important aspect of their life. They make it an everyday routine for several of reasons such as coping with issues,