HOMELESS?

During my research I came across a shocking figure that stated that veterans made up 1/4 of all homeless people in America. While many associate homeless veterans to Vietnam and todays modern wars, in an NPR story, Michael Norris illuminates that there have been homeless veterans throughout the span of US history. Post WWI, soldiers returned and thousands were homeless, causing a huge protest where soldiers camped outside the nation's capitol demanding a bonus. Unfortunately, president Herbert Hoover responded quite poorly, sending guards and tanks out on the soldiers to evacuate them from the site.

Interestingly, this problem was examined and in 1944 the GI bill was created in time for the returning WWII soldiers. The GI bill allowed for one year of paid compensation for veterans after coming back from the war as well as a free college education. This allowed WWII soldiers to readjust more easily into civilian culture to a point where they could afford to buy a home. Between 1944 and 1952 the government also backed 2.4 million home loans for WWII veterans.

After interviewing the VA doctor, I was left with a sense of a positive interaction with this cohort group of wwii veterans. It led me to wonder why they were much more well adjusted. I think that the creation of the GI bill and ability to have a house really contributed to the "re-entry" stage in the veterans' lives. In the attached video, wwii veterans discuss the issue of homelessness. One man describes that after the war, "work, i didn't have no problem finding...now it ain't that way." This video was quite touching to see how the wwii veterans are sympathetic towards the new generation of homeless and jobless veterans.

Veteran elders are still at much more risk than non veteran elders to be homeless. About 23% of all homeless people are reported to have mental disabilities that keep them from getting jobs and getting out of homelessness. With destructive effects of war such as post traumatic stress disorder, this could keep people homeless. 38% of homeless also reported alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is especially prevalent amongst veterans, putting them at even more risk.

SOURCES

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-07-homeless-veterans_N.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16227380

http://www.gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/history.htm

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/526/homeless-facts.html