Homelessness Among Veterans Essay

Words: 863
Pages: 4

David Livesay
English 3
10/10/16
Homelessness among veterans is a national problem amongst the U.S. and many returning soldiers are at risk of homelessness everyday. Veterans who return from combat diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as well as Veterans in general are at more risk of homelessness. Veteran homelessness is a growing problem in the U.S. and government agencies are doing very little to address this problem. And due to the poor treatment of these veterans, homeless or not, tears many families apart and in turn this sparks mental health issues among the veterans, PTSD being one of the most common. In the U.S. many veterans, active duty or retired, run a high risk of becoming homeless. As these men and women of our military return home, many of them have a difficult time going back home to their families due to rejection, loss of their loved ones etc. On top of the fact
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Veterans cannot find a stable job that pays enough to support a family let alone buy and support a household. “Many veterans fall into homelessness or poverty because the skills they learned in the military aren’t transferable for the civilian workforce” (10 Facts). Aside from their skills not being able to transfer to the workforce, mental health is also a big issue on this topic. Combat related PTSD is a serious mental health disorder common in veterans before returning home, but there are some veterans who develop it later on from the effects of homelessness. And government agencies such as the DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) or the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) are doing little to assist them and it’s only making the situation worse. There are some agencies working to fight the problem such as provide temporary housing or even give veterans a job, but it’s not enough to allow the veteran to sustain a household or a family let alone sustain themselves and let them regain their life