Veterans make up eleven percent of the nation’s homeless population. While that number does not seem high, it means that about fifty thousand men and women who served our country are living in the streets (Shaw). More that half of those homeless veterans have some sort of disability. There are programs in place to help veterans , but for many, these are not enough to keep in their homes. Veteran homelessness is commonly overlooked but has proven to be an extremely important issue gripping the nation today that needs to be solved.
There are many different reasons that a veteran becomes homeless. The main cause is lack of affordable housing. Also, many do not have a reliable source of income upon returning …show more content…
Housing First is an organization through the National Alliance to End Homelessness. It provides permanent housing for homeless veterans (endhomelessness.org). Housing First works with private landlords to get housing quickly. Many regular homeless families Housing First helps are able to regain financial security quickly and require little assistance after, which saves the program money. However, the money is later used for homeless veterans. With many having no steady source of income and several physical and mental issues, many vets require more assistance and for a longer duration of time. Housing First may pay for anything from the security deposit to the month’s rent, depending on the client at hand (endhomelessness.org). Case management also takes place to help coordinate services. Housing First gets a majority of funding from government organizations such as the United States Department of Housing. Homeless veterans are a huge issue currently facing the nation. No one who has served in any form of US military deserves to spend their nights struggling to survive on the streets. While there still are about fifty thousand veterans still homeless, many organizations, such as Housing First are striving to cause that number to drop. As American become more aware of this issue looming in the United States today, many have no doubt that more will become involved and work toward a country with zero homeless