U.S. Homeless Veterans

In a country that is known as being the “home of the brave,” why is it that so many of our nation’s veterans—the truly brave—are left without homes when they come back from service? Out of over 600,000 homeless adults in the U.S. today, more than 10 percent are veterans. Back in 2009, the Obama administration promised to end veteran homelessness by 2015. Although this goal has not been entirely met, several cities and two entire states in the country announced as of this last March that they have met an end to veteran homelessness. The two states are Virginia and Connecticut. New Orleans, LA was the first large city to achieve this goal. Salt Lake City, Utah and Phoenix, Arizona are close to as well. Here is more information on the 2016 budget fact sheet.

Causes of Veteran Homelessness

Several veterans suffer from physical, emotional, or mental disabilities that make it difficult to maintain reliable income necessary to own a home and buy other necessities. Some also suffer from substance abuse, which is often made worse by a lack of strong social support and family networks. In fact, over 27 percent of the homeless veteran population suffers from physical illness, mental illness, and substance abuse all at once (tri-morbid).

Another factor that contributes to the number of homeless veterans is the fact that many military job qualifications do not transfer well to civilian jobs. Many veterans find it difficult to assimilate themselves into civilian workplaces or adjust to society after they have left the armed forces.

From a more commercial standpoint, a lack of affordable housing is also a huge factor. Even veterans that have a steady income are not making enough to afford housing in many areas. This leaves them homeless for a period of time. Strict requirements for mortgage loan approval also contribute to difficulty obtaining proper housing.

When considering veteran homelessness, we have to also consider that 1.4 million veterans in the U.S., though not homeless yet, are at risk for homelessness due to many of the same causes.

Homeless Veterans Statistics

Homeless populations are very transient, making it difficult to find concrete statistics. Overall, however, it is estimated that on any given night, over 47,000 veterans are homeless, making up 11 percent of the adult homeless population in the U.S. Take a look at a few more thought-provoking stats:

• Only 9 percent are female.
• 9 percent are between 18 and 30 years old and 41 percent are between 31 and 50. These numbers are much higher than their respective demographic serving on active duty.
• More than 50 percent are single and live in urban areas.

What They Need

For homeless veterans, major basic needs and support are missing in their lives. Just a few of these include secure housing, healthy and well-rounded meals, health care, substance abuse care, and job assistance. By addressing these needs first, the statistics listed above will be greatly reduced.

Programs

Even though there have been major breakthroughs in the battle against veteran homelessness, there are still too many homeless vets in the nation that need support. Several programs and community groups exist to help lower this number year after year. The Department of Veterans Affairs itself has secured almost 15,000 residential rehabilitative and transitional beds and more than 30,000 permanent beds. Its homelessness programs ensure that almost 150,000 receive health care and over 40,000 are provided compensation each month.

How You Can Help

1. Determine community needs
2. Donate to a veteran group
3. Participate in homeless coalitions
4. Join a community-based, nonprofit group as these are most effective

As a company that deals almost exclusively with home loans for veterans, Low VA Rates takes veteran homelessness very seriously. As part of our policy, we make it extremely easy for veterans to gain approval for home loans. We add absolutely no overlays to our VA loans (fewer restrictions), and we offer the lowest rates around (lower monthly payments). With an affordable home loan, we hope that veterans can easily get into a house they love, so that they can truly say they have a home in the country they fought to protect.