War Veterans Research Paper

“On any given night, there are over 600,000 homeless people in the U.S.” (Quigley, 2014). Most find themselves sleeping in homeless shelters, short-term transitional housing or someplace uninhabitable. While there are many circumstances that can create homelessness, the major causes are high poverty rates, racial disparities, single parenting, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, and other traumatic experiences. In cases where the homeless person is single, lack of affordable housing, poverty, and unemployment were the leading causes. In cases where families are homeless, substance abuse, lack of affordable housing and mental illness were the top cause. In this research paper, I will try to unveil the factors that
Many vets who are homeless stay in unsheltered places, qualifying them as chronically homeless. HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) defines chronic homelessness as, “an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition-who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, OR has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years. In order to be considered chronically homeless, a person must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in an emergency homeless shelter” (http://canatx.org). Many homeless veterans fall into this category. “Unsheltered homelessness is more prevalent among Veterans than among non-Veterans. At one point in time in 2014, 36 % of homeless Veterans were unsheltered compared with 30 % of non-Veterans” (Byrne, Montgomery, & Fargo, 2015). Some of the common causes of homelessness associated with veterans are drug abuse, disability, unemployment, poverty, government policies and family
These traumas include injuries, illnesses, and disorders brought on by their experiences. The epidemic of substance abuse was acknowledged as the largest cause of non-combat related deaths amongst veterans. Opiod and alcohol abuse versus illegal drugs attributed to most deaths. Homeless veterans who abuse these substances find themselves in trouble with the law. According to Laura Burge, “Veterans are finding themselves in conflict with the criminal justice system. Special Veterans Courts are the appropriate response to these problems. These courts take into consideration a Vet’s military service and the war experiences and lack of readjustment services that cause them to engage in anti-social behaviors. Veterans’ courts focus on treatment and rehabilitation rather than jail time.” (Burge,