The Fourth of July has ended, the fireworks are over, the bands have gone home, the politicians have finished their campaign rounds, the tragedy of homeless American veterans remains unconscionably with us today.
Whether we support or oppose the policy in Iraq, can we agree on this? It is morally and patriotically wrong to have homeless and hungry American veterans in the hundreds of thousands, whom we walk past so casually on the street.
As one of our greatest would say, if he were with us today, sometimes we do things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. So I propose we saythis: We pledge ourselves that by hundredth day after the inaugural of our next President there will not be one homeless or hungry or hurting veteran of any war, from any time, any place in America, and that our real battle only begins on that hundredth day.
The VA has Domiciliary and other programs for homeless Vets, but they need to be greatly expanded. Also, there are outfits like USVets. I'm sure there are many other answers to the problem, but I don't have them.
Note to Vets: There are a lot of folks out here who will help you in big and little ways if they see your need. There are also bums claiming to be Veterans to scam them. Carry your DD214, your VA card, or some means of positively identifying yourself as a Vet. Also, if you look, act, or sound crazy or dangerous, don't expect anything from folks who are scared of you as they'll give you a wide berth. Check in with Vets' outfits wherever you find yourself, like the VFW or American Legion. Better yet, join one if you can. You can be a member-at-large not affiliated with a post, but you will be welcome at any post. The WWII tail-gunner posts that didn't welcome Vietnam Vets are pretty much a thing of the past, and the Viet Vets know what you're going through. They don't scare easy or tolerate crazy bullshit either. They'll do anything for you that they're capable of, a meal, roof, shower, clean clothes, a ride somewhere. They exist to help Vets as well as their communities, and they know how.
Note to bums: Try and scam Viet Vets and they'll take you up to see a nice view of the area and then unscrew the axle nuts on your wheelchair and leave you to get back down the hill on your own. Or maybe something clever. A lot of these guys still have issues about the way they were treated when they got back from war, and believe me, they'd love you to try and pull a con on 'em just for the release of getting to fuck you over!
The problem of homeless and disturbed Vets of Bush's War and the Occupation of Iraq has barely begun. We better start thinking about what to do about it.
While I was researching stuff, I ran across the following:
The number of homeless male and female Vietnam era veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war -- and a small number of Desert Storm veterans are also appearing in the homeless population. Although many homeless veterans served in combat in Vietnam and suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), at this time, epidemiologic studies do not suggest that there is a causal connection between military service, service in Vietnam, or exposure to combat and homelessness among veterans. Family background, access to support from family and friends, and various personal characteristics (rather than military service) seem to be the stronger indicators of risk of homelessness.
Almost all homeless veterans are male (about 3% are female), 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.
Many of these Veterans are not currently enrolled in Veterans Administration (VA) or aware they are eligible for services. Resources have been provided by Congress to reach beyond currently enrolled veterans to identify homeless veterans and provide services to them. In FY 2003, VA provided services to approximately 100,000 homeless veterans, the majority through the auspices of its specialized homeless programs. VA specialized homeless services programs include the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program (HCHV) and its components (the Grant and Per Diem [GPD] program, the Supported Housing program, and the and the Housing and Urban Development - Veteran Affairs Supported Housing program [HUD-VASH]; the Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans program [DCHV]; and the Compensated Work Therapy / Transitional Residence program [CWT/TR]).
One of the major goals of the VA's homeless veterans treatment programs is to provide treatment and assistance to homeless veterans who have been living on the streets or in emergency shelters. A primary indicator that support services have been successful is that veterans achieve a stable residence (independent housing or within a treatment setting) following residential treatment. The Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program is a specially funded program that provides extensive outreach, physical and psychiatric health exams, treatment, referrals, ongoing case management and contractual residential care to homeless veterans with mental health problems including substance abuse. HCHV program staff outreach to large numbers of homeless veterans; a subgroup with substantial psychiatric or substance abuse problems is placed in residential treatment programs provided through, i) local contracts with community based providers, ii) the VA GPD program, or iii) the VA Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) program. This performance measure applies to those veterans who have been placed in residential care within these three programs.
There's stuff out there, and it works. There just needs to be a Hell of a lot more of it. Soon. It ain't gonna happen under Bush and his Republicans as long as there are needy people to steal from to enrich themselves and their accomplices.
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