I AM A MILITARY VETERAN

I , after watching this video, was so moved that I cried. I see us out there everyday, and I feel betrayed, hopeless, and angry. Once, they had the courage to do this nations dirty work, disregarding their fears and pain to move forward, push the line and deliver to you garnered respect. LOOK AMERICA, LOOK!




More than 25 percent of the homeless population in the United States are military veterans, although they represent 11 percent of the civilian adult population, according to a report.
On any given night last year, nearly 196,000 veterans slept on the street, in a shelter or in transitional housing, the study by the Homelessness Research Institute found.

Veterans make up a disproportionate share of homeless people. This is true despite the fact that veterans are better educated, more likely to be employed and have a lower poverty rate than the general population.

"We know that veterans don't immediately become homeless after they're discharged, but the difficulties may take years to emerge.

The states with the highest number of homeless veterans include Louisiana, California and Missouri, according to the research. Washington, D.C., also had a high rate.

About 44,000 to 64,000 veterans are classified as "chronically homeless" -- homeless for long periods or repeatedly.

Other veterans -- nearly 468,000 -- are experiencing "severe housing cost burden," or paying more than half their income for housing, thereby putting them at a high risk for homelessness.

The rates of the burden of housing costs were highest in Rhode Island, California, Nevada and Hawaii, but the nation's capital had the highest rate, according to the organization.

To reduce chronic homelessness among veterans by half, the research concluded housing coupled with supportive services should be increased by 25,000 units, and the number of housing vouchers for veterans should be increased by 20,000.

Veterans such as Jason Kelley find themselves in a Catch-22, not able to find a job because of the lack of an apartment, and not being able to get an apartment because of not having a job, and not having a way to be contacted, thus, “I can’t get a job without a phone, and I can’t get a phone without a job and I have no family anywhere, I’m completely alone.”

"The only training I have is infantry training, and there's not really a need for that in the civilian world," the AP quoted Kelley as saying in an interview. In addition, he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he told the AP. Kelley served in Iraq with the Wisconsin National Guard.

In addition, 61 percent of poll respondents believe veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are most likely to become homeless as veterans of previous wars. It should be obvious by now that our homeless veterans are not being served well at all. If the homeless veterans were properly cared for by our country, the total homeless population would fall by more than 40 percent over night.


Homeless services would then have sufficient funding to move many of the rest of the homeless off the streets into transitional housing with services that bring them back into the working population. It would be a dream come true. If only our country would step up to the plate, homelessness in our country would be virtually eliminated.

Let’s Summarize the Homeless Veteran Situation. 750,000 total homeless count in U.S 400,000 veterans are homeless at some time in a year 200,000 veterans homeless in any one night 27% of our male U.S. population are veterans but: 43% of all homeless males are veterans 7688 beds funded by the VA for homeless veterans 192,312 sleeping elsewhere – shelters, grates, creek beds, back alleys.

Their starting to return home America, and I don't believe that the VA, or even their own families are properly prepared for their arrival.


         Heroes don’t deserve to be treated like this!



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