Veterans represent
approximately 6% of our countries population and make up about 7% of all
homeless adults in the country. While these numbers appear to be very close, it
also shows that veterans are overrepresented in homelessness, meaning that veterans
are more likely to be displaced from their homes. As of 2023, an average of around
20,000 veterans nationwide were living in shelters, and over 15,000 were living
without any shelter at all. And the problem is even more drastic in the Pacific
Northwest, with Oregon, California and Washington having some of the highest
veteran homeless rates in the nation.
The problem of veteran
homelessness is a complex issue. Due to disabilities and trauma related to
their service, veterans are more likely to become reliant on medication, both
prescribed and otherwise, and any resulting drug use disorder ends up making
them twice as likely to become homeless. Additionally, transitioning from
active duty to civilian life is often difficult, with more than two-thirds of
veterans considering finding a job to be the most significant challenge when
transitioning to civilian life.
Thankfully, until relatively
recently, veteran homelessness was consistently falling. Due to rising
awareness and the combined effort of many programs seeking to help homeless veterans,
the amount of homeless veterans in the country was consistently dropping. From
2010 to 2022, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness decreased over
50 percent, an incredibly significant change.
However, just because major
changes have been made, doesn’t mean that the problem is over. In fact, it
would seem that the issue has made a significant resurgence from our complacency.
From 2022 to 2023, the number of homeless veterans rose over 7 percent, and the
number of unsheltered homeless veterans rose 14 percent in the same time frame.
These men and women fought for
our nation and on our behalf, they’ve sacrificed much for our benefit and are
integral to our freedom. Individually and as a country, we owe it to veterans
provide the help they need to transition to a civilian life and job, without
the risk of becoming homeless. They’ve worked long hours and lost sleep to
provide us safety. It is only right we do the same.
To learn more:
https://missionrollcall.org/veteran-voices/articles/the-state-of-veteran-homelessness-2024/
https://www.casebook.net/blog/data-driven-insights-into-veteran-homelessness-statistics-and-facts/
To help provide support:
https://nchv.org/ways-to-give/
