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Written by Steve Sanson
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Tuesday, 06 March 2007 |
There is a growing epidemic this country is now facing. I am talking about Homeless Veterans. Veterans are the people whom have fought for our country and our way of life since the Revolutionary War over 231 years ago.
Veterans are our first line of defense to protect this country and they are also the first ones in line to get a budget cut. The Politicians we have in office past and present have cut defense spending by down sizing our military as well as closing military bases. This was being done during the Clinton Administration.
Veterans have their disability benefits denied or slashed. Veterans do not get the respect they deserve, during the Vietnam error Americans protested against them by calling them baby killers and women killers, these are the same hypocritical Americans that burn our flag and call themselves Americans. These hypocritical Americans have no idea what happens in combat and if they did they would drop to their knees and thank our Veterans for serving in our military.
Our government does not do enough for our Veterans, they train us how to survive in combat, but they do not train us how to survive as civilians. We need an exit interview to determine if there are any signs of mental illness. What happens after the exit interview, how long to veterans get treatment before it is cut?
Our Vietnam Veterans are having serious illness with Agent Orange. They are dying off one by one from cancers, etc., but for years our government denied the effects of Agent Orange and would not step up to the plate and treat our Veterans for this illness. Our government denied our Veterans treatment and disability wages, and each Veterans family suffers.
During Desert Storm we were ordered to take shots and horse pills to protect us from blister and nerve agents, but none of these pills and shots is listed in any Veterans Medical Record Book. Our Veterans appear to be genie pigs for our government and when something goes wrong the government covers it up so Veteran rights for disability and treatment are denied. If the everyday citizens knew the extent to the issues surrounding our Veterans they would truly be appalled.
You might have asked yourselves "Why are there so many Homeless Veterans" well, let me tell you why. Post Dramatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the main cause. The mind can only take so much, being a Combat Veteran is not any easy task. You place your body and mind in the most hostile situations. You witness the most traumatic experiences such as suicides, torture, killings, executions, the loss of a limbs, seeing a person being blown up, internal organs and brain matters all over the place.
Taking a life will change a person forever, the way you think will change.
PTSD symptoms include the following, and can be debilitating: loss of sleep, night mares, flash backs, hyper vigilance (heightened startle response), long term depression and or anxiety due to on going persistence of these symptoms. In the long run people who do not get proper treatment for PTSD can lack the ability to function in society (hold down a job, relationships, etc.). In the most extreme cases PTSD can cause a person to commit suicide and or homicide.
Some Veterans return to no family, their spouse's may leave them or a family member may have past away while they are serving our country. Their friends move on with their lives or do not understand what they have been through so separate themselves from their old friend.
Veterans do not like talking about combat with a civilian, because civilians do not understand. To understand you have to walk in a Veteran boots. The lack of others understanding can lead to stress, alcohol abuse, drug abuse (prescription and illegal drugs), violent tendencies (verbal and physical abuse), and isolation.
Some Veterans are embarrassed by what takes place in combat. Some Veterans become disabled and have a history of medical problems. All of the reasons listed above can cause an inability for Veterans to hold down a job therefore lack the ability to financially support themselves. This creates Homeless Vets.
A report released by a coalition of advocates for homeless persons finds that affordable permanent housing coupled with supportive services provides a powerful tool for preventing and ending homelessness among veterans, particularly those who confront chronic disabling health problems such as mental illness, substance addiction, and HIV/AIDS.
The report, entitled "Ending Homelessness among Veterans through Permanent Supportive Housing," is the product of a Policy Leadership Dialogue event convened by the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) and Volunteers of America.
The report outlines the tragic magnitude of Veterans' homelessness, including those now returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Highlights include:
Nearly 200,000 Veterans may be homeless on any given night and twice that many Veterans experience homelessness during the year.
Male Veterans are more likely to be homeless for an extended period of time than homeless male Non-Veterans. The report notes that 32 percent of homeless male Veterans reported that their last homeless episode lasted 13 or more months compared to 17 percent of male homeless Non-Veterans.
Homeless housing and service providers attending the event reported that they are already serving returning Iraq and Afghanistan war Veterans at local emergency shelters, US Department of Veterans Affairs-financed transitional housing programs, and local permanent supportive housing projects. Participants noted that while it is too soon to have a complete picture, evidence suggests that unique risk factors for homelessness and mental illness will confront Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
These factors include a housing market that is far tighter and more costly than it was in the Vietnam era. Expert observers also contend that the nature of the current conflicts, including the near-complete blurring of combat versus non-combat zones, will generate higher rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health traumas. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association documented that 19 percent of soldiers who served in Iraq screened positive for the signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder.
Another unique issue facing organizations that provide services to homeless Veterans is the new reality that by 2010 women will comprise nearly 10% of the total Veteran population, a change that will present new challenges (e.g., experience of sexual harassment/assault) for a Veterans' assistance system and for homeless Veterans providers accustomed to providing services to a predominantly male client population.
In identifying solutions for homeless Veterans, the report focuses on the role permanent supportive housing can play in preventing and ending homelessness among disabled Veterans, highlighting innovative local supportive housing programs and initiatives nationwide and outlining policy reforms that would generate more permanent supportive housing, along with other housing and services options needed by currently homeless and at-risk Veterans.
Event participants called on the 110th Congress to act quickly both to create more permanent supportive housing for disabled Veterans and to target resources to other income support, employment, health, and housing programs that assist all Veterans.
Under the Sailor Soldiers Act any Reservist that is called to serve on active duty their employer must hold their jobs for them on their return. Sometimes that is not what happens, the job is now more advanced and additional training might be needed are the position no longer exist.
There is also Reservists that lose money to support their family when they are called on active duty. Civilian jobs might pay four times more that what they will receive by being on active duty. This causes stress on the Veteran and their families placing them in financial risk of losing their homes.
What makes me sick to my stomach is when Non-Veterans hold up signs stating that they are a Homeless Vet when they are not and when people pretend that they are Homeless when they are not.
No City wants to see people sleeping on the streets. I could sympathize with Las Vegas City Mayor Oscar Goodman when he chose to close the park and attempt to enforce a City Ordnance by not feeding the Homeless. His goal was to encourage the homeless to get help from shelters and seek medical assistance. But let the truth be known a lot of these facilities have problems and limited space.
I could also understand Las Vegas City Municipal Judge George Assad ruling that signaling out indigents is Unconstitutional.
So where do we go from here?
This is not the only country that has Homelessness, but a lot of countries would say that the most powerful and wealthiest country in the world should not have a Homeless problem.
We as a society need to work together and make this problem nonexistent. You are never too young to help the Homeless. University of Las Vegas (UNLV) student Amanda Haymond is publisher of "Forgotten Voice" a newspaper for the homeless, there is also a website at: www.forgottenvoice.org.
The Las Vegas City Mayor Oscar Goodman and the Las Vegas City Council Members donated land and a 75-unit facility apartment is now open for Veterans built by HELP Las Vegas Housing Corp. a national nonprofit organization that develops low-income housing and emergency centers.
This is a positive move in the right direction. Thank a Veteran for our freedoms!
E-mail: SteveWSanson@cs.com phone 702 283 8088
Website: www.VeteransInPolitics.com
Listen to Steve Sanson weekly every Saturday 10AM Pacific time on "Face the Tribune" at www.AllTalkRadio.net
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 March 2007 )
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