Homeless veterans make up over 11% of the homeless population.  This means that one out of every ten homeless individuals has worn the uniform and served to protect the freedoms we all take for granted.

 

Here are some statistics from Veteranaddiction.org:

 

• In 2020, the number of homeless veterans was 37,252, increasing from 2019.

• 98% of homeless veterans have a chronic pattern of homelessness.

• Men made up 91 % of the Veteran homeless population.

• African American veterans made up one-third of homeless veterans.

• Four states have seven out of ten homeless veterans.  These states are California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Georgia.

• Veterans who were in the conflicts Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom have a 27% higher rate of substance use disorder than veterans involved in other conflicts.

 

Many believe that all veterans are taken care of by the Veterans Administration (VA).  Veterans have free medical care and can get access whenever they want.  The unfortunate reality is that it is not valid.  Veterans must apply for benefits with the VA to get a service connection for injuries suffered while serving.

 

The Military does not help veterans when they are separating from military service.  Often our veterans are unaware of the benefits they have earned with their service.  To compound the difficulty, filing for help is often a time-sensitive issue for establishing a connection to military service for injuries suffered.  

 

To understand what kind of issues our veterans suffer from, I urge everyone to watch the episode by John Stewart on apple tv relating to burn pits.  This is just a glimpse into veterans' struggle to get their earned benefits.  Here is a link to YouTube for a link to a short clip from the episode. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7PgaHnup3o

 

My goal is to utilize properties to help get Veterans off the streets and into stable housing and assist them with their claim process with the VA.  Many Veterans do not know how to get the access and benefits they have earned with their service. 

 

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

 

George Washington