HOMELESS VETS
Homeless Veterans How do Veterans become homeless? Our Veterans, the ones who serve in the United States Military, have fought for our country and others. They have served us well by leaving their families behind and venturing off into unknown lands like Iraq and Afghanistan to make us proud of them. We call them Heroes until they return home. Our Heroes return safely home from death and destruction only to be made aware that they are no different from anyone else. Well if our Veterans are treated as anyone else than homelessness will not discriminate. Our Heroes come home eager to see their families and to start a so call normal civilian life. A life that consists of maybe a 9-5 job with a decent apartment or house to share lasting memories. This would be great since the government gives them a check every month to supplement their new life. Unfortunately, life doesn’t end up that way for most Veterans. Instead they come home feeling lost and out of touch. Their minds are full of memories of seeing friends die or memories of taking a person’s life. All the while dealing with trying to find employment in an economy that is failing. So now the Veteran is dealing with lack of family support which could come from divorce while being deployed and/or child support. The Veteran is dealing with trials, tribulations and frustrations of unemployment because of lack of skills and training which leads to unaffordable housing to maintain stability. Dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD can cause the Veterans to use drugs and /or alcohol. The horrors of what they left behind when deployed along with the horrors they are facing in a society that is failing them leads them to fill empty and alone causing addictions.
HOMELESS VETS Other types of mental issues could be depression, suicidal thoughts
References: Chinman, M., Hannah, G., & McCarthy, S. (2012). Lessons learned from a quality improvement intervention with homeless veteran services Kasprow. W., Rosenheck. R., (2007). Outcomes of critical time intervention case management of homeless veterans after psychiatric hospitalization O’Connell M, Kasprow W, Rosenheck R. (2008). Rates and Risk Factors for Homelessness after successful housing in a sample of formerly homeless veterans Rosenheck R, Mares A. (2007). Implementation of supported employment for homeless veterans with psychiatric or addiction disorders: two-year outcomes