Excellent posts and great info from bilbo's post. In my searching I found all kinds of info as well on many aspects of this problem. Read these also to get a scope of the problem.
-National Coalition of Homeless Veterans.
http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm
Quote:
PL100-77 signed into law on July 22, 1987 known as the "McKinney Act" provided a definition of homelessness that is commonly used because it controls the federal funding streams.
Excerpt from PL100-77: Sec. 11302. General definition of homeless individual
For purposes of this chapter, the term 'homeless' or 'homeless individual or homeless person' includes -
(1) an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and (2) an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is -
(A) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
(B) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
(C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
Here's the current manual for eligibility-
-details of eligibility criteria for VA compensation and benefits, view the current benefits manual at:
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/ A survey of the homeless in America, including the homeless veteran-
- National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC), which was completed in 1996 and updated three years later. You can visit
www.huduser.orgHere's some figures from the previous URL.
Quote:
Veteran Specific Highlights:
23% of homeless population are veterans
33% of male homeless population are veterans
47% Vietnam Era
17% post Vietnam
15% pre Vietnam
67% served three or more years
33% stationed in war zone
25% have used VA Homeless Services
85% completed high school/GED compared to 56% of non-veterans
89% received Honorable Discharge
79% reside in central cities
16% reside in suburban areas
5% reside in rural areas
76% experience alcohol, drug, or mental health problems
46% white males compared to 34% non-veterans
46% age 45 or older compared to 20% non-veterans
Service needs:
45% help finding job
37% finding housing
Each year, 2.3 million to 3.5 million people experience homelessness in America. By taking 23% of that range for veterans, that would indicate there are between 529,000 and 840,000 veterans who are homeless at some time during the year
Here are some other facts about homeless veterans-
-4 % are females
-the vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities.
-45% suffer from mental illness
-50% have substance abuse problems.
America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America.
-47% of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era.
-67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone.
Here's a blog that deals with the PTSD dilemma-
http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com/ Check out the first entry about Gen Clark
Quote:
An invitation to be the first to read the opening installment of a new series on combat PTSD appearing this morning on General Wesley Clark's Clark Community Network blog. You may remember this team for their gripping traumatic brain injury (TBI) series on the 'signature wound' of the Iraq War.
The signature wound. Wow!
Gen Wesley Clark writes on PTSD-
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/11196Quote:
Hurricane Katrina ravages the Gulf Coast in 2005 while an earthquake savages Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. In 2004, a crushing tsunami rises out of the Indian Ocean. A terrorist attack paralyzes a nation on a mid-September morning in 2001. Every two minutes, an American is raped. Over six million are involved in car accidents annually. One to three million are victims of domestic violence in our country every year. And then there are those who are sent to combat. All are susceptible to something we call PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder.
Next month, on March 19, 2007, we arrive at the four-year mark of the start of the Iraq War. Seven months later, on October 7, 2007, six years will have passed since the war in Afghanistan began. Since then, nearly 1.5 million American men and women – representing about one half of one percent of the nation’s total population – have worn our nation’s uniform and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation Enduring Freedom. Nearly 3,200 have been killed in action thus far, and over 23,000 have been wounded.
In addition, nearly 150,000 have filed disability claims; over 100,000 of which have been granted, with another 30,000+ claims pending review. It is estimated that between 500 and 1,000 OEF/OIF vets are already homeless. Many have multiple deployments under their belts. For now, at least 38,000 returning troops carry invisible marks on their souls of one degree or another and are being treated by the Veterans Administration for psychological injuries once labeled nostalgia, shell shock or combat fatigue. Today we call it post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Like bilbo said- 2 words that should never be said together! This is a terrible problem that has only one cure- no more war!
Thanks Catherine and bilbo for informing us through this thread. All of us are very much culpable for this and so we are responsible for solving this problem. We sent them there to defend us and as per history, we prefer to let the cripples beg at the gates than to show them how important their sacrifices really are. If this is what our fearless preaching leaders expect to get away with, then we should refuse to engage in their wars, unless they can prove that our freedoms and securities are under threat.
If that were the case, we would never go to war. There probably has never been a legitimate war for the reasons they tell us.
