In the United States, it is practically impossible to walk down most streets without coming across a homeless person. The issue of homelessness has worsened because of the number of veterans back from our most recent wars. They have resorted to homelessness as their only refuge after being unable to maintain a stable home and/or not receiving the treatments they need. But as veteran homelessness demands more attention, especially in California, various solutions are being brought to action. The “housing-first strategy” being offered to homeless veterans and those endangered of becoming homeless, has played a major part in moving California closer to having an end to veteran homelessness in 2015.
Homelessness is an issue that has been plaguing
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In an interactive tool map titled “Ending Veteran Homelessness Map,” found on the National Alliance to End Homelessness website, California and Los Angeles’ numbers in regard to veteran homelessness can be found. And even though the numbers of homeless people are huge, the numbers of homeless veterans in our nation are just astounding. It’s a surprising realization that the soldiers that fought and served us with their lives are now homeless. Half of America’s homeless veterans served in Vietnam, two-thirds served for three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone according to the “FAQ About Homeless Veterans” by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. These statistics only serve to emphasize once again how many veterans resort to homelessness. And since few truly effective plans have been created or brought to the fore, at least not until these past few years, it’s no wonder this situation hasn’t gotten any better for …show more content…
According to the VA, homeless veterans are mostly single males living in big cities and who tend to suffer some illness and/or abuse (“FAQ About Homeless Veterans”). This definition implies men make up the entire veteran population. This is not so, but they do make up the majority. Women make up around eight percent of homeless veterans, as stated by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in the report “National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: Homeless Female Veterans.”Women are usually not considered, or forgotten, as part of the homeless population due to the minority their numbers play as homeless veterans, but it is still important that they are kept in mind and provided with a solution just like homeless veteran
“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.
Homelessness among veterans has become a major problem in the United States. According to The National Alliance to End Homelessness, states with the largest numbers of homeless Veterans included: California, Florida, New York, Texas, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, and Oregon. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with just a little of them are female. Most of them are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, the military’s anti-drug
“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.
Veteran homelessness must be attacked at multiple levels in order to ensure that it does not turn into a revolving door. So beyond simply providing temporary housing support we will also have to improve our veteran’s lives for the long-term. This entails treatment for their PTSD by providing them with access to health and wellness clinics, recovery resources, peer support groups, and individual counseling. (Note: Key information from HYPERLINK "http://www.voail.org" http://www.voail.org).
The homeless population is growing in America. There are more and more Americans living in boxes, sleeping on park benches and panhandling on the streets each day. These people tend to make us, the non-homeless, feel uncomfortable and unsafe. They are also placing increasing stress on the nation's economy. In short, the homeless are a burden on the rest of society. There needs to be action taken against them. "I shall now humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection (Swift.)" I propose that all of the homeless be relocated to foreign third world countries. They can then be hired in American factories producing shoes, automobiles and other various goods at less than one dollar per hour.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
Many soldiers are on the verge of homelessness at some point in their life. There are more than 150,000 veterans that are homeless every day and more joining them. Homeless veterans are serious problem. They deserve better for serving their time and risking their lives for our country. 150,000 of the homeless are veterans this proves that there are a vast amount of homeless.
Veterans are viewed as the strongest people in the United States. They constantly deal with daily struggles such as disability and unemployment after their services. After serving in a branch of the United States military, many veterans have trouble finding work. While there are, at times, things that need to be overcome for veterans to be able to work, they are often skilled workers and deserve the opportunity to succeed in the civilian workplace.
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.
Homelessness can happen to anyone unexpectedly. Many poor people are at the risk of homelessness. The cost of living and trying to find affordable housing can be very difficult. Many who are homeless are in poverty, have a mental illness, or addictions. Homelessness happens from personal, as well as structural factors. Many aren’t able to make enough for rent, as well as, utilities, food, and other expenses each month. More than 6 million Americans pay more than half of their income towards rent (Reamer, 1989). The trend is once someone becomes homeless, it is likely they will be homeless repeatedly. To end homelessness, affordable housing will have to be created because it is peoples largest single expenditure (Anderson, 2013).
Thus, governments make specific advantages and administrations accessible to them and the general population assumes liability for guaranteeing the prosperity of this extraordinary gathering of residents. It is in this manner a matter of worry that veterans are spoken to in extraordinary numbers among needy Americans. (Rosenheck, Kasprow, and Seibyl, 2004, p.587). In 1987, the main national study of vagrancy among U.S. veterans were gathered. What was reported is that forty percent of homeless men was passed military administration and that was compared to 34 percent of men in the general population. Further research confirmed that veterans are 1.4 times prone to be homeless as other individuals, and that roughly 200,000 were homeless on any night. The most serious danger of vagrancy were among individuals who had served in the post-Vietnam all-volunteer armed force from the year 1972 to 1980. Those men were around four times prone to be destitute as their none veteran associates. In contrast, veterans in the age group that served in the Vietnam period were just 1.4 times likely coordination the general normal. The World War II veterans had somewhat low rates: they was just nine-tenths prone to be destitute as none veterans. The information demonstrates that the battle introduction is not the most grounded determinant of vagrancy among veterans of different war times. In reality the post-Vietnam veterans had the minimum battle presentation yet the most dangerous vagrancy. The key element appeared to be identified with their premilitary experience and status. World War II veteran are an exceptionally symbolic cross segment of their age bunch in general public on the loose. Vietnam veterans, somewhat in the light of purposeful arrangements
Many people debate on weather homeless people should receive guidance or just be abandoned. Do homeless people deserve our service and to be supported, or are they just lazy individuals trying to take advantage of people? Homelessness is a growing dispute in cities. It has became an extensive problem for the community. Homelessness can not and should not be ignored. The number of homeless people in the United States is quickly growing. It seems like no one cares to help them. Even our heroes like police officers show no sympathy towards the homeless. “Homeless people appeared on the streets of Bucharest in 1990. Since then, their number and the problems created by this phenomenon have steadily increased in all major
There are too many connecting issues that have caused homelessness to escalate from a lifestyle that was really only lived by middle aged individuals with a substance abuse problem, to a condition that is endured everyday by a diverse number of people. The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress reveals that 36 percent of the homeless population consisted of individuals in families--over half of which were children--17.8 percent was made up by the chronically homeless, and an estimated 10 percent was comprised of veterans.
The United States has thousands of veterans and many of them suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The care for veterans must be improved. Veteran care needs to be improved because they are not getting the proper care that they need, not receiving credit for their service, and they were willing to pay the ultimate price for freedom, yet people will not pay the price of time to help them.