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They have found the homeless and they are Vets!
EFL
The daily news headlines paint a grim picture of the kinds of situations American servicemen and servicewomen are dealing with in Iraq. Yet while the media, politicians and analysts talk much about the peril facing American soldiers abroad, very few seem to give much thought to what will happen once these soldiers have done their duty and returned home. Tragically, many of those who are able to return home will come back not only with mental and physical problems but to lost job opportunities and broken families.
(Many? How many?)
A case in point is the number of veterans of past wars found among the nation’s homeless. America’s homeless veterans have served in most of the major wars, including World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Gulf Storm, Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as police operations such as the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in Latin American countries. And 67 percent have served our country for at least three years, with 33 percent having been stationed in a war zone. In fact, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, one out of every four homeless males who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has at some time put on a uniform and served our country. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that roughly 300,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
(This figure may be inflated because of the way they collect data. Basically they ask the homeless person: “Have you ever served?” I hate to say it but sometimes homeless people lie.)
What can be done? First, the Bush administration, in cooperation with Congress, should make our returning veterans a top priority by drastically expanding available services for them. It is not enough to make speeches and build monuments in their honor. If we’re really serious, then we must dedicate some of our tax dollars to creating programs whose focus is rehabilitation and sustenance — specifically, so that veterans can find adequate housing and reach a point where they can obtain and sustain employment.
(Yes the answer is to blame President Bush for the Homeless Veterans. They didn’t exist under the Clinton Administration.)

This is a subject near and dear to my heart for two reasons: I am a vet and I work with/for Veterans organizations for the State of California. Yes there are Veterans who are homeless, but they are not without avenues to get out of the situation. In Sacramento (my home town) there are three Veteran shelters that they can go to for help. They CAN get Medical assistance, drug counseling, clothes, place to sleep, food, and job training/referral/placement. Guess what? Some of these Veterans don’t want help or drop out of the program after a week or so. Yes they are veterans, yes they are homeless, and YES they have MENTAL Problems. But it’s not for lack of trying that these people CHOOSE to be on the street rather than seek help from veterans groups. And believe me they AGGRESSIVELY seek out homeless vets for their programs because they are the ones that need the most help. So I don’t think the answer is more money towards these programs. Also if ANY veteran wants to go to a VA hospital then can get FREE care for illness or injury.

First, the Bush administration... should make our returning veterans a top priority by drastically expanding available services for them... If we’re really serious, then we must dedicate some of our tax dollars to creating programs whose focus is rehabilitation and sustenance — specifically, so that veterans can find adequate housing and reach a point where they can obtain and sustain employment.
That proposed solution looks like an off-the-top-of-the-head pronouncement by Jesse Jackson. No specific services are mentioned, just the expenditure of more dough. 300,000 sounds like a big number, but 300,000 out of a vets' population of approximately 25 million comes out to about 1.2 percent, assuming my calculator's calibrated correctly. With a "failure rate" a tad over one percent, I'd say we're well into the territory of diminishing returns. VA isn't perfect, but I'd say there's no evidence they're neglecting their duties, nor is there an obligation for them to get out and chase down their "charges." In fact, there's probably less requirement for them to do so, since the people who join the volunteer military are demonstrably more self-reliant as a group than a similar random slice of the populace. No news here. It's just typing.

Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-01-06
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=23887