I am broke. I have no job. The outlook does not look well. Luckily, I have a support group to lean on when times get rough. I separated from the military and started working a sales job in Orlando, Florida. After a month, the job was no longer mine and I was living off credit cards and my savings account. An account that was typically above $10,000 soon was depleted to $21 and I had no idea where my life was going. I scraped up enough money to pay one last month of rent in my apartment but was forced to move in with family in Richmond. If it was not for that family, I would be homeless.
Even with my unemployment compensation, it is not enough to live off. $275 a week does not go very far in today’s society, especially in regards to housing. Mine is not an uncommon problem being dealt with by discharged and separated service members. Estimates of the homeless population vary, but veterans make up 10-25% of the total homeless populations (Katel, 2004). Nine percent of the U.S. population are veterans, yet 275,000 veterans are homeless on any given night with about twice as much experiencing homelessness at some point this year (Katel, 2004).
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a homeless coordinator in each of the 57 regional offices to help veterans and transitioning members in hopes of preventing their homelessness. Some VA offices have even been known to patrol the streets looking for veterans to help and find a shelter for, an encouraging sign. However, most believe that the VA just is not doing enough to support our veterans and prevent them from losing their housing. In Dover, Delaware, the state unanimously approved funding for the state’s first home for aging and disabled veterans. States do vary widely on the kinds of services and benefits they offer to veterans, though.
Veterans have served our country in its time of need and upon returning, thousands are going homeless. This trend needs to be fixed and this issue needs to be corrected. I am a 26-year-old man living with family after being on my own for eight years. It is demoralizing and embarrassing, but it is better than sleeping on the streets. It is allowing me to get my life back together. The next time you see a homeless person on the street, do not get annoyed or disgusted. Think about this: 25% of the homeless population has served so you can have your freedoms and live in whatever home you want. If it were not for family, I would be one of those people.
Katel, P. (2004, November 19). Treatment of veterans. Retrieved October 21, 2011 from the CQ Researcher database.
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| A cartoon depicting the plight of homeless veterans. |
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| A sign created for a national sleep-out designed to raise awareness of homeless veterans. |
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