Talk:Homeless veterans in the United States

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 9 October 2020 and 10 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Tgevorgian, JS194504, Ashleyksasaki. Peer reviewers: FS20sch.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 22:32, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

2009 Shinkseki speech
IMHO the section is given too much weight in the article.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 06:27, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Veteran Homelessness
In 2017 the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness determined that there were over 550,000 people in the United States that were without consistent, reliable housing. Of this population of homeless, over 40,000 people can claim veteran status. This is a disturbing number in that these are people who were all volunteers into the U.S. military, and who, for the most part, have experienced combat defending the ideals and interests of the United States. While it is estimated that veterans make up approximately six percent of the current population of the United States, they are over-represented in the homeless population. Veterans account for more than seven percent of those that live without consistent housing. The majority of homeless veterans are male, single, and have served in one or more armed conflicts for the United States. There are several reasons that people find themselves living on the streets, including mental disorders, substance abuse, and an inability to properly manage personal finances. These are soldiers that have willingly put their lives on the line for their country, and are now sleeping in boxes in alleys or under a tarp in a park. They deserve better. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:282:4100:C934:600D:E825:89DE:CB86 (talk) 01:33, 7 May 2018 (UTC)

COVID-19
In recent years, there have been improvements in policies and programs with the goal to reduce the number of homeless veterans in the United States. For example, the Housing and Urban Development – Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), first started in 1992, a program designed to show supportive services are beneficial in reducing veteran homelessness. This program expanded under the Obama administration because of the rise of veteran homelessness after those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Although there were criticisms of the effectiveness of the HUD-VASH, there was a decline in veteran homelessness. Other bills such as the Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act and the Homeless Veterans Prevention Act, are in the process of being passed to allow the VA to use funds it has with other organizations to give legal assistance.The current COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this public issue of veteran homelessness. COVID-19 has already had a drastic impact on the lives of Americans across the United States, but it disproportionately affects people of color and those who are vulnerable. Many veterans were already struggling before the pandemic, with “over 40,000 Veterans experiencing homelessness in 2019 and an additional 1.4 million more at-risk.” These veterans are facing medical, housing, employment, and mental challenges that have worsened with the pandemic.

Allow the VA to Provide Legal Aid for Homeless Vets. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/publications/washingtonletter/march-washington-letter-2020/valegal-032020/

Evans, W. N., Kroeger, S., Palmer, C., & Pohl, E. (2019). Housing and Urban Development–Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers and Veterans’ Homelessness, 2007–2017. American Journal of Public Health, 109(10), 1440–1445. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305231

Help End Veterans Homelessness. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/publications/washingtonletter/June_2019_Washington_Letter/homeless_vets_article/

Ashleyksasaki (talk) 16:24, 9 December 2020 (UTC) Ashleyksasaki