Caring for Our Veterans
Brother Can You Spare a Dollar?
Have you ever been waiting at a stop light at a busy intersection and noticed someone sitting on the curb in a wheelchair holding up a cup and a cardboard sign? The sign said something like, “Disabled Veteran Please Help.” Unfortunately, this scenario is one we see much too frequently, especially in a country traditionally known globally as the “land of milk and honey.” Yet, we are seeing more and more veterans living on the streets of our nation. Many having weathered the battlegrounds of war, now unarmed against the harsh elements of a society that seems to have forgotten them.
We can’t help but ask why? Why are so many of these former warriors living either in homeless shelters or without any shelter to protect them at all? These are people who risked life and limb to preserve our freedom. How did they come to begging on the streets of the country they served to protect? Although veterans make up under 10% of the total U.S. population, they account for between 11-13% of the homeless adult population. (Time.com; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Between 2022 and 2023 there were an average of 35,574 homeless veterans. About 20,067 and 15,507 of these individuals were either living in shelters or without any shelter at all respectively.
Sources of the Problem
There are many culprits that contribute to the dire social conditions around our nation’s homeless veterans including: the growing cost of suitable housing, service-related disabilities, overwhelming bureaucracy impeding access to benefits, unaddressed mental health conditions, and resorting to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. Specifically, 51% of homeless veterans are dealing with disabilities, 50% have serious mental illnesses, and about 70% deal with substance abuse challenges. (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans)
However, research additionally shows that a significant contributor to our veteran homelessness crisis is the lack of caregiver support. Yes, you read that correctly. Not having a caregiver support network to help veterans manage through mental health, financial and disability challenges can ultimately lead to housing displacement. For example, caregivers can help veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder by helping them create a home where they feel safe and secure, ensuring they take care of regular financial obligations, advocating to medical staff to obtain the proper medical treatment and providing social support and encouragement. Not having someone to help manage around these areas can result in housing instability.
Too, veterans with physical injuries (loss of limbs, loss of sight) may need assistance in carrying out activities of daily life. These include things like showering, dressing and eating. All these activities go a long way in maintaining mental and physical wellness, which contribute to the overall stability of the person and their ability to thrive in the communities around them. So, caregivers can play a significant role in their veteran loved one’s ability to sustain their lifestyle.
No argument there.
Possible Solutions
Of course, there is no “one size fits all” approach to addressing (and preventing) veteran homelessness. However, a first step is in recognizing that consistent family caregiving support is critical for many of our former service members. There are several federal programs designed to help benefit family members who serve as caregivers. Here are some of those initiatives:
Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers – provides financial stipend, caregiver training, health insurance access, caregiver mental health counseling and respite care support for family caregivers of veterans with service-related disabilities.
Program of General Caregiver Support Services - provides support services to all caregivers regardless of injury status of the veteran.
VA Caregiver Support Program – benefits provided to caregivers of veterans with qualifying injuries.
There are also government programs to assist veterans directly with housing such as U.S. VETS, HUD-VA Supportive Housing and VA’s Legal Services for Veterans. Some non-profit support organizations include Blue Star Families and The Hope Fund (Elizabeth Dole Foundation) that help veteran families who experience loss of income and help direct them to the needed community resources.
Did you know that currently there are 14.3 million caregivers who care for ill, injured and wounded American veterans? As is true for civilian family caregivers, veteran caregivers are financially impacted with estimated annual out-of-pocket costs and lost household incomes of $8,583 and $4,522 respectively. (Rand Report 2024)
Summary
Given that the population of homeless veterans in this country continues to increase (increasing by more than seven percentage points between 2022 and 2023) we are safe in concluding that more needs to be done to help address the many issues embedded around veteran homelessness. In fact, in a recent poll conducted by Mission Roll Call, veterans across the country were asked: “In your opinion, is enough being done to address veteran homelessness?” A resounding 90.75% of them responded “no.”
So, despite the various programs and initiatives in place to help get our veterans off the streets, we still haven’t reached the “enough” mark. The research suggests that veteran homelessness needs to be a top priority on Capitol Hill. Preventive considerations include increasing the salaries of active-duty enlisted men and women, so they can better save for their futures. Whatever direction solutions take, veteran caregiver support must be at the forefront in helping to defeat the veteran caregiver crisis that is currently attacking this country.
Meanwhile, thank you to all the veteran and active-duty servicemen and women along with their families and caregivers who support them. Thank you for your service and many sacrifices in helping to protect our land of the free, home of the brave. We salute you all!
Until the next blog!
Thank you for being here, for reading and for caring!
References
Health and disability benefits for family caregivers, VA.gov.
The State of Veteran Homelessness [2024], Mission Roll Call, July 19, 2024.
Veteran homelessness “an embarrassment” to our nation: Mission Roll Call CEO, June 21, 2024.