It’s one of the little secrets about Veterans Day that stays hidden at barbecues, quieted at military ceremonies and hushed in the places where yellow ribbons and American flags are flashed with pride.
There are 107,000 veterans who are homeless right now.
That’s the number the Veterans Administration and the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans agree upon. Also:
- The VA says the majority of homeless veterans are single; come from urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About one-third of the adult homeless population are veterans.
- Five percent of homeless veterans are women.
- About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered “at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.”
That 107,000 is better than half the population of the Marine Corps, and double the population of the Coast Guard. Military leaders love to use football analogies to get their troops fired up. So, here’s one: the number of homeless veterans in the United States would overfill each National Football League stadium by better than 10,000.
There is also something to the notion that “roughly 56 percent of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 12.8 percent and 15.4 percent of the U.S. population respectively.” Also, the specter of mental illness, drug use and alcoholism probably steer people clear.
Numbers aside, tracking, finding and convincing many of these people to get help (or provide help) is a monumental task for the VA. There are file drawers of mixed up records, mind-numbing aisles of bureaucracy and people that need to be trained to do these tasks. The VA also has the burden of running a health care system and a wealth of other programs.
But none of these are good excuses. The Defense Department is an organization that can marshal thousands of 19-year-olds armed with machine guns in to a warzone in less than 24 hours. The VA is staffed by many of the same people who wrote the plans and did the marshalling. Policy needs to change. More money is needed. More good, smart people are needed, too.
Meanwhile, the Defense Department’s public relations/recruiting budget as of 2009 stacked somewhere near $7.7 billion. So, feel free to cut a NASCAR sponsorship, rip the decals off the Army dragster, or bail out of a monster truck rally or two to put that money on the other end of the equation — separation and discharge. Offer a few logistics, comptroller and medical officers as liaison to the VA to boot. Maybe then the number of beds for homeless vets to sleep in could go from the 16,500 estimated by the NCHV to do something more realistic.
Finally, get the DOD to energize the current workforce and its retirees to get out and help. It’s done a fantastic job with wounded soldiers and their families in this regard, including support for the myriad charitable organizations. Why not homeless veterans? A few ceremonies, a half dozen American Forces network commercials and support by senior leadership would be a good start.
Tomorrow’s pause for Veterans Day is a day to remember there are sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, who fought in battles in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and elsewhere. Many of these people were Army Strong, Aiming High and Semper Fi. Then something happened to make them homeless. ALL of them, including the ones who may be hardest to find and honor, should be celebrated with the same fervor. It’s a secret that should be spoiled.
Want to help? Visit a Veteran’s Hospital and warm a vet’s hand (here’s a guide). Then, go to these websites and give some time or money:
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I am the co-host and creator of "The Science Fiction Show" podcast with my good friends Keith Houin and Michael Wistock. Join us each Friday for a look at all things Sci-Fi in the world of pop culture, TV, film and more. How? Easy! 
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Well said Jason. Folks re-post, re-post.
Bravo. Good article, Jason.
Jason:
Good article. Our vets certainly deserve better. After housing and health, the next most important thing vets need is a CHANCE. The SBA is launching programs to help vets become small business owners, including some “Small Business Boot Camps” on college campuses. And there are special loan programs available for vets and family members, plus some 5 percent of government contracts are reserved for small businesses owned by vets or service-disabled vets. The SBA has free small-business resources like management advice, business-plan help, disaster recovery help for any vet who wants them.
Keep fighting the good fight for vets.
excellent letter for veterans day
yes i have been homeless also
and i am a veteran.
Awesome but tragic article. I am the National Director for the Homeless Heroes Program for Veterans For Change. It’s a new program with alot of potential. The numbers of homeless Veterans are rising because our Troops are coming home and have no other place to go. The resources out there need to communicate better with each other if we are going to make a difference in the homeless community. Hopefully, with this program we will be able to do that.