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Nearly 76,000 military veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009, and close to 136,000 veterans resided in shelters that same year, according to an assessment recently released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Report: Over 75,000 of America's Veterans Are Homeless
Seeded on Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:18 PM EST
Article Source: The Afro-American Newspapers | Your Community. Your History. Your News.- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (11)
We Americans are great at showing our appreciation to those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe and secure. Aren't we swell!
- 6 votes
#1 - Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:19 PM ESTA lot of things aggravate me and piss me off, but there's really not a whole lot that truly disgusts me. But this is one of those. The way that this country throws our servicemen out in the field and discards the ones that manage to return home (pun not intended) sickens me. No veteran should be out on the street. Ever.
- 5 votes
Even 10%, 7,600 homeless are way too many. Get going VA, lotsa work to do - right now. Oh, and do not forget the 55,000 fellas from desert storm who have health issues from their combat exposures, vaccinations, etc.
All this 'human' cost may be viewed as collateral damage to war mongering idiots who are now ready to march on into Iran. Please remind them that our after effects equal those suffered by those we conquer.
- 3 votes
#2 - Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:24 PM ESTBut we have many illegals who has homes and jobs along with H1 visa people. When is our government going to take care of it own citizens.
- 1 vote
#3 - Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:31 AM ESTPowerIsKnowledge, what CAN we do to help? I'm disabled and have no money to contribute to causes like this (hell, it's only through the kindness of my family that I'm not homeless myself), but I have all the time in the world when my body feels like cooperating.
I don't mean to sound stupid or sarcastic - that's certainly not my intention! But I genuinely hate feeling so powerless over stuff like this and wonder if there's something I can do that I'm just not seeing.
- 1 vote
Volunteer at your local homeless shelter.
Homeless shelters are always looking for adults to mentor homeless adults, volunteer as a mentor aka a friend, and believe me, you'll find many homeless veterans living in shelters.
Homeless shelters are always looking for people to volunteer to serve on Boards and/or join committees.
Volunteer at your local AMVET thrift shop. Gather up all those plastic grocery bags, yours and your neighbors, on a regular basis, and donate them to your local AMVET thrift shop.
Ask your neighbors to donate clean blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, thermal underwear (tops and bottoms), clean coats, sweaters, hats, caps, gloves, mittens, sleeping bags, tents, sanitary napkins, tampons, etc., and go where homeless people gather and pass out those things.
There are many things you can do but only your local shelter can tell you of its needs.
Volunteer at your local VA Hospital.
Be a volunteer with the Department of Veterans Affairs
I tell people all the time that you don't have to have money to help someone in need.
- 3 votes
Thanks! There's a VA center near me, but it suddenly closed down right when I was going to start volunteering there. I think they're doing renovations - I could check that out and see if they need help with non-physical stuff that my body can handle.
I guess part of the reason that figuring out how to help is difficult for me is because I live in a small town where we don't have homeless people or shelters or anything of the sort. Volunteering was easy for me to do when I lived in the city and I was surrounded by people and organizations that needed help.
Thanks again for the suggestions. I hate sitting around knowing that I could be doing something to help.
- 2 votes
You can also contact a shelter in a city near your home and ask how you can help from home! Sometimes they need help stuffing envelops and if they have the funds, they will mail everything to you.
- 2 votes
power,
your 3.3 is best of vine so far that i have EVER read. Kindly expand its distribution far beyond this vine. Maybe letters to editors, local TV newscasters, or a donated billboard.
I do not think any elite care at all, and that includes MSNBC, DC, NYC and Boston. Because the elite do not serve any others.
That leaves it to the average Joe and Jane to care and help cure.
Estimate 15% of combat veterans did not have the correct psychology to be a soldier. The military should have known this from their battery of testing.
Thank you and God bless.
- 2 votes
Thank you for your kind words bestquest!
The elite in the Unitarian Churches do a lot in serving veterans and the homeless.
What I like about the Unitarian Churches is after they pay their bills what's left goes into the community. Twice a year they sell donated books. You can help by donating books, accepted anytime, and buying books; five dollars will probably get you several books depending upon what you choose. Some of the churches have greenhouses where you can purchased tomatoes and flowers and all are affordable. Every fundraiser the Unitarian Churches gives goes to support their causes.
They are friendly and dedicated people who believe in social justice. You won't find racism, hate, separatism, or anything negative in the members of the Unitarian Church when it comes to serving the people of the community or causes.
Click on this link to find a UU church near you.
- 1 vote
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