America the Beautiful home to nearly 500,000 homeless Veterans.
 

To think on Veterans day there's so much talk about troops currently serving but rarely does anyone mention that in this country within any given year there are nearly half a million vets that go homeless. The richest country in the world yet we can't hold ourselves to a standard high enough to provide basics for our own people. So as you think of Vets on Veteran's Day try thinking about the ones that already served many of which don't even have a place to live. Here's a sampling of some of the stories about them.

http://news.google.com/news?q=homele...ff&sa=N&tab=wn

thats just fucked up

:glugglug

Bowling For Columbine

It's unconscionable that we take better care of heroin addicts, criminals, and 18 year old losers with 3 kids and no ambition than we do people who served this country.

It's sad that The U.S. isn't really spending money on curbing drug addicts and homeless and criminals, but hey, billions of dollars for a military budget makes lot's of sence

This country doesn't exist and we can't make the money and do the biz we're doing without these guys who are mostly young and poor serving and putting their lives at risk fighting wars for corporations to get rich off of.

I'm often disgusted that in the richest country in the world we can't provide a higher standard and basics to everyone just because we can afford to do so. Morally there's no doubt it should be done. To think that these guys who come back often traumatized for life and with injuries and medical conditions their own govt won't recognize or acknowledge, have to sleep on the street and in parks nearly half a million of them alone let alone the millions of other homeless. I personally find it disgusting.

That's pretty sad.

I couldnt agree more.. truely sad. :(

karma


:glugglug

Guess the Vets could of used the 87 billion that was sent to Iraq!

Hey come on. If you want to bring on this issue talk facts.

About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. On any given day, as many as 250,000 veterans (male and female) are living on the streets or in shelters.

Almost all homeless veterans are male (about three percent are women), the vast majority are single, and most come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds. Homeless veterans tend to be older and more educated than homeless non-veterans. But similar to the general population of homeless adult males, about 45% of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and (with considerable overlap) slightly more than 70% suffer from alcohol or other drug abuse problems. Roughly 56% are African American or Hispanic.

The VA has the following programs to address this issue.

VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program

AmeriCorps

Loan Guarantee Program for Homeless Veterans Multifamily Housing

VA Assistance to Stand Downs

Veterans Industries

CHALENG

DCHV

HUD-VASH

Supported Housing

Drop-In Centers

SSA-VA Outreach

Comprehensive Homeless Centers

VBA-VHA Special Outreach and Benefits Assistance

VBA's Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers

VA Excess Property for Homeless Veterans Initiative

I had a cousin, who was a doctor, who did intern work at the VA Hospital in West LA, and he said most of the Vets that are homeless aren't that well educated and have a lot of drug and mental problems.

You can not tell me there is not some kind of work if you are willing to do it in this huge country. BS. I appreciate these guys fought and served, but hey they get a lot of benefits from it for housing financing and healthcare, etc. that no one else gets, and many of them don't even take advantage of it. Being a Vet opens a lot of doors.

I don't want to sound harsh, but I've always worked for everything I have and when I see these guys that are drunk off their ass bums standing on a freeway ramp using the Vet sign to yank money form people, it really pisses me off. If they can stand out in the hot sun all day, they certainly can go out and find a real job.

I don't think anyone disagrees with you on that KRL and that's not what I'm saying by any means. I don't feel for people who spend all day standing on a corner asking for money. I'm talking about the society we live in that we care so little about people that this situation even exists as it does. Throwing money at the problems will never solve them. Most of our tax dollars, I would say easily 60% are wasted by the federal government and mismanaged. I happen to think in the richest country in the world with better money managment our society could provide basics to every citizen and hold a higher standard on less taxes than we currently pay even.