75,000 US veterans face homelessness

According to data published by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of US veterans, homeless on any given night as of June this year, stands at a staggering 75,700, a Press TV correspondent reported Friday.

The unemployment rate among American young veterans stood at nearly 21 percent last year according to the US Labor Department.

www.presstv.com...

What say you americans? They are your brothers, sisters , fathers and mothers yet when they come home from fighting they face PTSD and homelessness.

nearly 1/5 of the homeless are Vets already.( www.nchv.org... )And the Full impact is not going to hit for another 5-10 years. The average vet returning home from vietnam would have his life unravel in around 10 years and end up homeless. So just imagine the crisis we will have in a few years.
Why didn't the government learn its lesson and be better prepared? We can only hope the Gov won't beat down the vets like last time. And just think how much worst it will be in places with laws stopping you from feeding the homeless.
With Mass flooding and record long droughts happening all over the world and the raising cost of oil food is getting alot more expensive. low income familys are already struggling to cope i don't see any hope in the near future.
I guess this is just another sign of the impending collapse of the world.

reply to post by Bixxi3


I recall my time in El paso where over the years I would see homeless vets live under bridges that were close to post. Some that I knew back then even shared their fate with them when they were discharged from the army as well. I suppose things will continue to be like this until some type of action takes place but who knows when that will happen.

Yes most veterans should not be working, they are usually psychotic after what they have experienced in IRAQ or other places. They are disgusting people, hired murderers of the world they should get nothing more than what they dish out. Death.

reply to post by Bixxi3


As the wife of an afghanistan disabled vet I dont understand how they are homeless. My husband receives his full military pension for 22 yrs, as well as 80% va disability pension (80% of his retirement on top of his full retirement..so basically 1.8 times his retirement pay) each month. He makes more in a year than he ever did when he was active duty. His retirement checks pay our bills. If they are homeless it is not because of being a disabled vet, it is more than likely a mental illness.

I work in the 17th largest city in the US- Louisville KY. There are homeless people all over the place. I have yet to meet one of them that is right in the head. NOt one.

Mental healthcare seems to be what these people need just from my experience. Which by the way is easily obtained at the nearest veteran's medical facility.

reply to post by thegoods724


You are insane.
Second line.

Originally posted by thegoods724
Yes most veterans should not be working, they are usually psychotic after what they have experienced in IRAQ or other places. They are disgusting people, hired murderers of the world they should get nothing more than what they dish out. Death.

What a horribly ignorant statement to make. They are doing there jobs even if you don't agree with the war you should support the troops.I don't even know what else to say to you. except if theres ever a draft i hope your the first of the boat and on the beach.

reply to post by thegoods724


My husband was in the military for 22 yrs and was an MP and was in both Iraqi wars. He hasnt killed anyone. Get a grip and educate yourself before you start saying they need to die. You are a horrible human being. Without our soldiers what little freedoms you have would be gone. If you hang on long enough you may get to experience life without them...I am sure you will be screaming for one of them to come save your a$$.

One issue that veterans face when searching for jobs is the perception of employers that all vets have mental health problems, including substance abuse, and are prone to violence. This makes it harder for veterans to get hired, contrary to promises from recruiters that military service makes one more valuable in the job market.

www.answercoalition.org...

In regard to services provided to vets by armed forces:
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Hate when that happens!

More on mental health help:

"We are not able to serve the entire population. So we are relying on our partners in the community to help provide some of that care," says Dr. Adam Borah, chief of Fort Hood's Resiliency and Restoration Center, which provides on-base outpatient mental health services. "We're lucky we have a relatively speaking robust network of community providers we can rely upon."
Nearly 20 percent of all combat veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - about 360,000 in all - report symptoms of PTSD and depression. Yet only a little over half of those have sought treatment, according to a study by Rand Corp. Many cite the stigma attached to mental illness for not seeking treatment, saying that doing so might harm their careers.

www.dallasnews.com...
So not enough resources for the # of cases? Yet our military budget is larger than the entire planet's....COMBINED! This is genuinely insulting and sadistic that our forces are alloted so much money for arms and deployment, but the after care falls short!
How come when some gripe about unnecessary comfy gov jobs, they never specify military(Pentagon/Blackwater contracting) jobs?

reply to post by k21968

The latest and most comprehensive study of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has concluded that nearly 1 in every 5 veterans is suffering from depression or stress disorders and that many are not getting adequate care. The study shows that mental disorders are more prevalent and lasting than previously known, surfacing belatedly and lingering after troops have been discharged.

Some service members avoid a diagnosis of a mental health problem, fearing negative consequences, the study said. These troops worry about damage to their military careers and relationships with co-workers. "When we asked folks what was limiting them from getting the help that they need, among the top barriers that were reported were really negative career repercussions," said Terri Tanielian, another of the study's authors.

articles.latimes.com...
It is very worrying. i wonder why if this is such a issue why its looked as so negative in the military?

reply to post by Bixxi3


The government doesn't need to learn anything. DO you think this is by accident? This dates back to at least the Vietnam War. The difference being that this day and age these people are deliberately joining the military knowing that they are going to war. Knowing that there is no GI Bill. If they are so uneducated as to not know that the US government has used and continued to use the vets for lab rats over the past several decades. All I can say is there is no hope for them. Some how they have been brain washed into thinking that this is Patriotic when it has nothing to do what so ever with the US citizens safety. There is no hope for them. Some of them join to get a pay check and a college degree how far did that pay check go and what kind of job did you get with that degree. There is no hope for them. It is time to look around and join the real world and discover what its all about. If homelessness does that then it may be worth the suffering of being on the streets. Join the rest of the citizens and recognize it was all BS. Then there may be hope for you.

Don't join the military if you are just doing it to get a sign on bonus, that right there was the first mistake they made..... You go and make a career out of it, or you go there and learn real life skills that will be needed in the job world.... I've known a lot of my friends that were so ready to go with the promise of money and financial stability that ended up unemployed when they came back.....

reply to post by Bixxi3


It's absolutely disgusting, but unfortunately nothing new. Maybe the amount of people homeless, but I've seen people who've served in WWII ask for spare change. Not that anyone who didn't serve and is homeless is any less deserving, it's just painful to see someone who has taken such a leap as to defend their country like that be homeless.

I'm sure there are plenty of reasons. Some may very well be suffering from mental disorders from their time in the military. Some may just find it difficult to find a job, like many Americans. Something needs to be done of course, for every homeless person. The things set in place today just isn't good enough. But don't ask me what to do, I'm equally dumbfounded by the problem as well as a solution to the situation.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


You know something, though, I consider it a bloody miracle that it's not a lot higher than that. I honestly thought it was more like 60-70%. Horrible, horrible stories you hear sometimes. And these kids (because that's what A LOT of them are) doing two and three tours.

it's weird, alot people join the army to avoid homelessness, but alot of homeless people are veterans

It's called Karma.

Muahahaha.

This thread is a living example of how statistics lies. It says there are 75,000 homeless veterans. What is DOESN'T tell you is that 2 years ago there were 131,000 homeless veterans, so this means it has dropped by not quite half in two years. That alone is an amazing accomplishment.

The other issue is how many veterans there are. The answer is nearly 25 MILLION. So the number of homeless veterans is 3/10ths of 1% of the veteran population.

Measuring the number of homeless is difficult and estimates are all over the map, but of we take a high end estimate done by people who are advocating FOR the homeless (which would tend to aim high) we get an estimate of 3.5 million. This is a little over 1%.

In other words, the number of homeless veterans as a percentage of veterans in the US is about a third--maybe more of the general population of homeless. This completely explodes the myth that veterans are so traumatized that they become homeless. What utter nonsense.

So, rather than decry the number of homeless vets, should we not be applauding ther fact that so few are homeless compared to the general population?

(I'm a vet and not homeless. I don;t want anyone to be homeless.)

There is no reason for veterans to be homeless.

The VA is each state has housing available, at no cost to the vet, and utilities run around $32 depending on the location. Also there are federal grants for building and or redeveloping housing for veterans who are currently homeless.

All they have to do, is show up at the VA provide proof they are a veteran, ei social security number and or DD 214.

It is bs that veterans are homeless, and that the majority of homeless are veterans, but if they wanted help it is available, and they do know it.

Many homeless, want to be because they are off the grid.

Just consider that for a few moments.

reply to post by Bixxi3


i say this:

homelessness in the USA is a darn shame, as much for ex-military personnel as it is for runaways, senior citizens, gays, red-headed step-children, the mentally ill, divorcees, you name it, whatever label someone may fall under.

we could have housing for the homeless if we were willing to pay the taxes to finance it. sadly it seems like we the people do not get to pick and choose where tax money is spent. our earnings & spendings & holdings are taxed a hundred and more ways but son of a gun the country is in debt beyond the ability to pay back.

when enough people get angry and throw the government people responsible for the mess out with the trash, maybe then we can stop sending the military and manipulation money around the world, and take care of our fellow countrymen instead. i highly doubt this will happen in my lifetime. those in charge have layer after layer of hired thugs (also fellow Americans) who choose to make their paychecks enforcing muscle on others.

we are the lowest players in lifes game, pawns to be used, manipulated and discarded. our ruling class cares very little if we are homeless, hungry, educated, medicated or wrongfully incarcerated. as in past history, nothing will change until the commoners rise against the oppressors and strip them of their power.
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reply to post by thegoods724

Yes most veterans should not be working, they are usually psychotic after what they have experienced in IRAQ or other places. They are disgusting people, hired murderers of the world they should get nothing more than what they dish out. Death

Are your balls so big in real life or is it the protective barrier of the internet that makes them swell so?

Originally posted by thegoods724
Yes most veterans should not be working, they are usually psychotic after what they have experienced in IRAQ or other places. They are disgusting people, hired murderers of the world they should get nothing more than what they dish out. Death.

Karma's a biatch bud!! You will get what is coming for you, with a mind that thinks like this. What's unfortunate, is there are people like you on this earth taking up precious air.