Research Paper
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Imagine serving a country, in a way where one is far away from home, risking everything, and when that person gets back there is nobody there to appreciate his efforts, and that being is shunned by society and no one will help him . This situation has become a reality for a lot of America's military veterans. Homeless veterans are a social justice issue that is affecting our world today. Veterans from wars like Vietnam all the way up to the Iraq/Afghan wars have been victims of oppression. They have returned home only to become homeless. Veteran issues include several things but veteran homelessness is one of the biggest. When veterans return home they are usually greeted by family, but what happens if they are not? Sometimes the cause of homelessness is the lack of support from family or even mental health issues. It is not just affecting the veterans themselves, but also society as a whole. Homeless veterans add a negative appearance in cities and even the integrity of our military. There are many organizations and groups trying to help veterans across the country. The government is trying to help as well.. The issue is a big one, no one that has been through something as big as a war should come home with no one to thank them. Despite seeing our veterans return homeless from past wars like Vietnam, the issue of homeless veterans still persists today. Causes including mental health issues and veterans without family support, could be addressed through veterans organizations’ and the government.
There are many causes that contribute to homeless veterans which can be addressed. One cause is family support issues that some veterans and or combatants endure. In an interview with Gabe Adibe, an active duty marine explains “People without family have a harder time re-integrating into society. The military tries to get them together to feel like they are apart of a family.” (Adibe, interview). What Adibe says is true; veterans sometimes have no family to help them financially and mentally. This usually leads to homelessness because they have no support.
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Also the military and other organizations try to get lonely veterans together. They do this by giving veterans a ‘home’ during the holidays or have a general get together. Organizations like the VA (Veterans Association), hosts things like campouts and the Wounded Warrior Project. Veterans come together and fill that gap in each other’s lives. Eventually though, they break off and fall into despair, and no one really seems to care or do anything. In addition the current situation of the economy is affecting the veterans as well. As Rajiv Srinivasan states, “Funding for the homeless shelter project was slashed, along with a total of $75 million in homeless-veteran benefits.” (Srinivasan, 2011). The recent budget cuts are a clear sign of the economy’s decline. Less money means less support for our veterans. The government is focusing their money on ridiculous things such as NASCAR advertisement instead of helping those who served in their country. Small organizations are trying to raise money for their cause. But without money from the government, the issue will persist. As one can see these elements are a major contributor, but they are not the only causes.
Unfortunately there are even more instigations that contribute to this issue. Another origin is mental illnesses, “45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illnesses” (www.americanprogress.org). These figures display why veterans have a hard time getting jobs. Because of their mental handicaps they are less able to perform a job. Without help to repair themselves, veterans will be out of work. This issue has been recognized throughout homeless people of any kind, it also relates to things like alcohol and drug problems. “70 percent of homeless veterans suffer from alcohol or drug abuse” (www.americanprogress.org). Veterans that suffer from addiction have an even harder time getting off the streets. They spend what little
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money they have on more drugs and alcohol and repeat the process. These three causes often tend to overlap for a veteran. A veteran suffering from and illness may also be addicted to drugs or alcohol. Reasons like these give off a negative appearance, it make people less likely to help veterans. The issue of homeless veterans have many causes, but what can these causes and the issue itself do to affect society? Homelessness is an issue, it not only affects the homeless themselves, but society around them. The issue sometimes affects the image of the area around it. In a book, author Larry Ford states “Often there are long lines for food and shelter in front of the rescue missions and this adds to the negative image of the area” (Ford, Metropolitan). Ford was talking about downtown San Diego and the many homeless people that stay there. This displays how regular people look at homeless people; it gives them a negative feeling towards the area. The crowds of the displaced are giving the area around them a dissenting look to it. People, especially from out of town, see this and thinks of San Diego a bad name. Effects can range from something as simple as a bad look, to something a lot more serious. In an article, Rajiv Srinivasan describes, “When we fail to support our veterans in dire conditions, we present military service as an unsustainable lifestyle to our prime recruitment audience” (Srinivasan, 2011). Srinivasan is explaining how when people see our veterans being homeless they do not want to join the military. This quote portrays possible future; young men and women see how our government is treating our veterans and figure that there is a better career other than the military. It puts into question the integrity of our armed forces. It makes one wonder if there will be a decline in the numbers of the military, if our military strength as a country might lower. All of these possibilities can be avoided if our government would take action. The effects range from little things to big things that can one day
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affect our country as a whole. These causes and effects can be stopped by many potential solutions that the community is working on.
Even though the issue is a big one, people and organizations are helping to put a stop to it. One of the organizations that are trying to prevent homeless veterans is the Veterans Affairs. The VA announced, “The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) continues to develop housing opportunities for homeless and at-risk Veterans by adding 34 VA locations across the country.” (Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, 2011). This is stating what the VA is doing to help solve the homeless veteran problem. They are placing 34 new VA locations around the country, by doing this they are increasing the availability of help for veterans. The VA has been trying to do many things to lower the homeless population. This is one of the many things they are attempting to help. Solutions do not just come from independent organizations though. A quote from a member of the Obama Administration states, “The Obama Administration has set an ambitious goal of ending veterans’ homelessness by 2015.”(Johnson, 2012). This demonstrates the Obama Administration’s ambitions, as they set a goal to end veteran homelessness. The fact that the government, as high up as the president, is taking an interest in this matter is a huge step forward. The administration is planning to give multiple organizations and programs large amounts of money in order to help. The government finds this affair a serious and important one. By getting involved, the government could really help put a stop to it. If the people are to stop homelessness among veterans, it is these types of solutions that will make it happen.
Even though society reflects upon the tragedy of how our troops were treated after Vietnam, they still choose to let the past problems hurt veterans today. Different situations such as mental health and family problems can be solved by the involvement of veteran organizations
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and the government. Causes like budget cuts and having no family support are really important to recognize. Mental health and substance abuse are also important. These things are causes of homeless veterans, they are the reasons we have certain issues affecting our society. These effects are things like the appearance of certain areas and the overall integrity of our military. These effects can be resolved though, through the efforts of different organizations and even the involvement of the president. The issue has been going on for a long time, it may not be resolved until the involvement of organizations or the government, but it is the will of the country's people that will truly end it.
Imagine serving a country, in a way where one is far away from home, risking everything, and when that person gets back there is nobody there to appreciate his efforts, and that being is shunned by society and no one will help him . This situation has become a reality for a lot of America's military veterans. Homeless veterans are a social justice issue that is affecting our world today. Veterans from wars like Vietnam all the way up to the Iraq/Afghan wars have been victims of oppression. They have returned home only to become homeless. Veteran issues include several things but veteran homelessness is one of the biggest. When veterans return home they are usually greeted by family, but what happens if they are not? Sometimes the cause of homelessness is the lack of support from family or even mental health issues. It is not just affecting the veterans themselves, but also society as a whole. Homeless veterans add a negative appearance in cities and even the integrity of our military. There are many organizations and groups trying to help veterans across the country. The government is trying to help as well.. The issue is a big one, no one that has been through something as big as a war should come home with no one to thank them. Despite seeing our veterans return homeless from past wars like Vietnam, the issue of homeless veterans still persists today. Causes including mental health issues and veterans without family support, could be addressed through veterans organizations’ and the government.
There are many causes that contribute to homeless veterans which can be addressed. One cause is family support issues that some veterans and or combatants endure. In an interview with Gabe Adibe, an active duty marine explains “People without family have a harder time re-integrating into society. The military tries to get them together to feel like they are apart of a family.” (Adibe, interview). What Adibe says is true; veterans sometimes have no family to help them financially and mentally. This usually leads to homelessness because they have no support.
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Also the military and other organizations try to get lonely veterans together. They do this by giving veterans a ‘home’ during the holidays or have a general get together. Organizations like the VA (Veterans Association), hosts things like campouts and the Wounded Warrior Project. Veterans come together and fill that gap in each other’s lives. Eventually though, they break off and fall into despair, and no one really seems to care or do anything. In addition the current situation of the economy is affecting the veterans as well. As Rajiv Srinivasan states, “Funding for the homeless shelter project was slashed, along with a total of $75 million in homeless-veteran benefits.” (Srinivasan, 2011). The recent budget cuts are a clear sign of the economy’s decline. Less money means less support for our veterans. The government is focusing their money on ridiculous things such as NASCAR advertisement instead of helping those who served in their country. Small organizations are trying to raise money for their cause. But without money from the government, the issue will persist. As one can see these elements are a major contributor, but they are not the only causes.
Unfortunately there are even more instigations that contribute to this issue. Another origin is mental illnesses, “45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illnesses” (www.americanprogress.org). These figures display why veterans have a hard time getting jobs. Because of their mental handicaps they are less able to perform a job. Without help to repair themselves, veterans will be out of work. This issue has been recognized throughout homeless people of any kind, it also relates to things like alcohol and drug problems. “70 percent of homeless veterans suffer from alcohol or drug abuse” (www.americanprogress.org). Veterans that suffer from addiction have an even harder time getting off the streets. They spend what little
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money they have on more drugs and alcohol and repeat the process. These three causes often tend to overlap for a veteran. A veteran suffering from and illness may also be addicted to drugs or alcohol. Reasons like these give off a negative appearance, it make people less likely to help veterans. The issue of homeless veterans have many causes, but what can these causes and the issue itself do to affect society? Homelessness is an issue, it not only affects the homeless themselves, but society around them. The issue sometimes affects the image of the area around it. In a book, author Larry Ford states “Often there are long lines for food and shelter in front of the rescue missions and this adds to the negative image of the area” (Ford, Metropolitan). Ford was talking about downtown San Diego and the many homeless people that stay there. This displays how regular people look at homeless people; it gives them a negative feeling towards the area. The crowds of the displaced are giving the area around them a dissenting look to it. People, especially from out of town, see this and thinks of San Diego a bad name. Effects can range from something as simple as a bad look, to something a lot more serious. In an article, Rajiv Srinivasan describes, “When we fail to support our veterans in dire conditions, we present military service as an unsustainable lifestyle to our prime recruitment audience” (Srinivasan, 2011). Srinivasan is explaining how when people see our veterans being homeless they do not want to join the military. This quote portrays possible future; young men and women see how our government is treating our veterans and figure that there is a better career other than the military. It puts into question the integrity of our armed forces. It makes one wonder if there will be a decline in the numbers of the military, if our military strength as a country might lower. All of these possibilities can be avoided if our government would take action. The effects range from little things to big things that can one day
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affect our country as a whole. These causes and effects can be stopped by many potential solutions that the community is working on.
Even though the issue is a big one, people and organizations are helping to put a stop to it. One of the organizations that are trying to prevent homeless veterans is the Veterans Affairs. The VA announced, “The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) continues to develop housing opportunities for homeless and at-risk Veterans by adding 34 VA locations across the country.” (Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, 2011). This is stating what the VA is doing to help solve the homeless veteran problem. They are placing 34 new VA locations around the country, by doing this they are increasing the availability of help for veterans. The VA has been trying to do many things to lower the homeless population. This is one of the many things they are attempting to help. Solutions do not just come from independent organizations though. A quote from a member of the Obama Administration states, “The Obama Administration has set an ambitious goal of ending veterans’ homelessness by 2015.”(Johnson, 2012). This demonstrates the Obama Administration’s ambitions, as they set a goal to end veteran homelessness. The fact that the government, as high up as the president, is taking an interest in this matter is a huge step forward. The administration is planning to give multiple organizations and programs large amounts of money in order to help. The government finds this affair a serious and important one. By getting involved, the government could really help put a stop to it. If the people are to stop homelessness among veterans, it is these types of solutions that will make it happen.
Even though society reflects upon the tragedy of how our troops were treated after Vietnam, they still choose to let the past problems hurt veterans today. Different situations such as mental health and family problems can be solved by the involvement of veteran organizations
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and the government. Causes like budget cuts and having no family support are really important to recognize. Mental health and substance abuse are also important. These things are causes of homeless veterans, they are the reasons we have certain issues affecting our society. These effects are things like the appearance of certain areas and the overall integrity of our military. These effects can be resolved though, through the efforts of different organizations and even the involvement of the president. The issue has been going on for a long time, it may not be resolved until the involvement of organizations or the government, but it is the will of the country's people that will truly end it.