Homeless Veterans Essay

VA & Homeless Vets



There is not a shortage of public issues that tend to pull at the heartstrings of many people. Whether it be poverty, abuse or neglect of children or people being homeless or otherwise desperate, it would seem that there is no shortage of people in dire need of assistance. A prominent subset of the homeless population just mentioned are the homeless people that are veterans of the United States Armed Forces. As one might expect, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Administration has a program that is specifically meant to address the issue of many veterans being homeless. While it may not be popular to say, the solution to this social problem is not as easy as one might expect as there is only so much money, resources and options that exist.



Analysis



The challenges that faces the VA or anyone else will tend to have when it comes to helping home veterans is that the homeless person in question has to want the help and assistance and must be willing to adhere to the strings that are often attached. While some might ask why such strings and willingness are even needed, there are good reasons. While many homeless people are in their situation on a temporary and fleeting basis, there are others that are perpetually and normally homeless. Beyond that, a good amount of the people that are homeless are in their situation, at least in part, due to mental illness and/or drug abuse of some sort. After all, there is a reason why many people advise against giving cash donations to the homeless because there is the conventional wisdom, which is often supported by events and reality, that the money will not be spent on anything that will excise the person from homelessness. Finally, there is the issue that unless the homeless person in question is a danger to themselves or others, they cannot forcibly be housed in metnal health accommodations or a shelter. In other words, if they are not deemed a threat and they are not wanting to go to a shelter or government agency for help, they are under no compulsion or requirement to do so. If the person is mentally ill or drug-addicted despite not being suicidal or homicidal, the outcome and ongoing nature of the problem will obviously not be helped.



Even with the above dour realities, the VA does have a program in place to at least try to mitigate the issue. Their stated mission is to "end" homelessness for vets. They stand behind three main prongs and goals of the agency. They seek to conduct coordinate outreach to veterans on a proactive basis and while finding out who needs assistance, they attempt to connect homeless and at-risk veterans with differing solutions and assistance such as housing, healthcare and community employment services and they strive to collaborate with agencies of all levels (federal, state and local) as well as faith-based and community non-profits. The goal of the latter networking and collaboration is to provide and administer affordable housing solutions as well as expand employment opportunities for veterans that need and want the assistance. The website for this program urges people to "take action". They say that veterans at risk can contact the VA or go to a VA location. In addition to showing up at a VA location, vets and/or their families can contact the group via their phone number (which is staffed 24/7) or their website. Information about the homeless veteran program as well as other programs meant to support veterans are at the ready, according to the website. The key programs touted specifically for homeless veterans include healthcare (including drug rehab), mental health, housing assistance and employment/job training (VA, 2017).



When it comes to whether this program is effective, the news is rather mixed. As noted at the onset of this report, at least part of the issue is not entirely within the VA's control. Indeed, if a person is mentally ill and/or drug-addicted and that has created or aggravated the homelessness of the veteran in question, the odds…