A Need for Change Homeless Veterans
Sherri Shonebarger
Kaplan University

College Comp II CM220
Dr. Manning
January 14, 2015

A Need for Change Homeless Veterans Men and women who have went to war, come home to experience many problems that lead to homelessness (Shumsky, 2012). It is estimated that there are approximately 200,000 veterans who are homeless on any particular night and many of these veterans experience homelessness with the first year of being home from war. Many of these veterans experience homelessness more than once a year. Of the homeless men, one-third are veterans. Out of the homeless adults, about one-fourth have served in the armed forces. Of the homeless veterans, ninety-seven percent are male with the larger majority being single (homeless veterans programs, 2014). This is a large number of veterans who face homelessness. While Lancaster, Ohio offers housing for homeless drug addicts and alcoholics, along with victims of domestic violence, very few of these homeless veterans can find adequate living space, so therefore the government needs to provide housing for all jobless and homeless veterans as part of their service benefits. Homeless veterans do not become this way all on their own. Many of these veterans who experience homelessness suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s), physical and mental disabilities, addiction to prescription and street drugs, and alcohol addiction. Of these veterans, more than 40 percent suffer from both a mental disorder and substance abuse combined (homeless veterans programs, 2014). These veterans are also at risk for homelessness due to living in poverty, lack of support from friends and family. Veterans who are homeless, also face dangerous living conditions in substandard or over crowded living space (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2014). Another factor that leads to veteran homelessness is the fact that when they suffer from PTSD, they self-medicate with drugs or alcohol or both to try and cope. Veterans are supposed to be offered many benefits as part of their service package. The Veterans Administration has many services and benefits to help these homeless veterans. They include disability benefits, education, healthcare, rehabilitation services, residential care and compensated work therapy for the veterans who are eligible (homeless veterans programs). Some homeless veterans do not know that they are eligible for these services, and they are usually the ones who end up homeless. To see if a person is eligible for any or all services, they can pick up the phone and call the Veterans Administration’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, in which they will speak to a trained VA responder. The homeless veterans here in Lancaster, Ohio, have limited options for homelessness. The first place a veteran starts is at the one and only homeless shelter that serves both men and women veterans. This shelter is only able to serve up to 20 veterans on any given night. This shelter is run by Lutheran Social Service, a non-profit organization. The veteran is taken in and an assessment over the phone is done to verify that the person is a veteran. Once the assessment is done and the person is a veteran, then they fill out a questionnaire to see if they have any physical or mental disabilities that are causing the veteran to be homeless. If the person is suffering from any type of addiction, they are shipped out of the community to the veteran’s hospital to have the addiction taken care of. Once this happens then the person can come back to the veteran’s shelter to start the process of becoming self-sufficient and have help with stable and permanent housing. The maximum stay at the shelter is 90 days. Both men and women veterans can stay here until their time is up. If the men reach the maximum stay and meet the requirements to have stable and permanent housing then they are placed at the Arthur