The seriousness of Military Veteran Homelessness - Essay Example

The seriousness of Military Veteran Homelessness One of the biggest issues America is facing today is homelessness of the military veterans. NationalCoalition for Homeless Veterans (2011) has maintained accurate records of the statistics of military veterans in America. The military veterans have actively participated in the Second World War, the Cold War, and the War in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. They have also played a very important role in the implementation of anti-narcotics measures in South America. 66.66% served America for a minimum of 3 years while 33.

33% of these military veterans were stationed in the zone of the battlefield. “Roughly 56 percent of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 12.8 percent and 15.4 percent of the U.S. population respectively” (National Coalition for Homeless Veternas, 2011). The biggest problem of the military veterans in America is homelessness. About 50% of the veterans that had served in the military in the Vietnam era are homeless today. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), most of the homeless veterans of the nation are men while the percentage of women is about 5. The U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) records a minimum of 131000 homeless veterans every night while the number of military veterans that are found to experience homelessness every year is 262000 (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). They generally come from urban regions and account for one third of the total population of homeless people in America. The homelessness and lack of employment is just as much a problem for the young veterans who have recently returned from Afghanistan and Iraq as it is for the old veterans that have served in the previous wars.

They have their lunches and dinners in the soup kitchens and are desperate for finding jobs even if they have too do menial works (USA Today, 2007). Last, but not the least, the homelessness has led the military veterans to depression. A vast majority of these veterans are single and suffer from physical and psychological illnesses. Many are patients of depression and are addicted to substance abuse. One veteran said, I shed blood for this country and got the Purple Heart after a mortar blast sent shrapnel into my face and leg.

But when I came back home from Vietnam I was having problems. I tried to hurt my wife because she was Filipino. Every time I looked at her I thought I was in Vietnam again. So we broke up. (Glantz, 2009, p. 1). Unfortunately, there is no proper system in place to cater for the needs of veterans returning from wars in America. “We have no inkling of the full scope of the problem… Theyre returning home, theyre running into obstacles and problems and all of the mechanisms arent in place to get to them” (Kearse cited in Serrano, 2009).

It is extremely unfortunate that one in every three homeless people that are today found sleeping on the streets, doorways and under the sheds has been in the uniform for several years in the past and has served America.References:Glantz, A. (2009, January 3). Did You Know 200,000 Vets Are Sleeping on the Streets? Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/election08/116721/did_you_know_200,000_vets_are_sleeping_on_the_streets/. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. (2011). Facts & Media: Background & Statistics.

Retrieved from http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm. National Coalition for the Homeless. (2009, September). Homeless Veterans. Retrieved from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/veterans.pdf. Serrano, A. (2009, February 11). More Veterans Calling The Streets Home. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/25/eveningnews/main2607024.shtml. USA Today. (2007). Veterans make up 1 in 4 homeless. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-07-homeless-veterans_N.htm.