Sunday, January 19, 2014

Almost 50,000 Afghan and Iraq Veterans are falling on Hard Times and at risk for Homelessness

Nearly 50,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were either homeless or in a federal program aimed at keeping them off the streets during 2013, almost triple the number in 2011, according to numbers released Thursday by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The number among this generation falling on hard times is rising sharply even as homelessness among veterans of all ages and conflicts has been on the decline, according to the VA. 
Advocates for the homeless say many of the estimated 2.5 million Americans who served in the two wars went into combat zones on multiple deployments, something many veterans of previous conflicts never had to endure. 
"They're coming home to a bad economy. The country is different. Their families are different. They are different. Plus they are dealing with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other issues around mental health," says Gregory Scott, president of New Directions For Veterans, a non-profit assistance group in Los Angeles.
"We don't know what the long-term impacts will be on the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans," says John Driscoll, president and chief executive officer of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's a crying shame that any veteran has to go through these problems. Ever. There should be no expense spared.

-Martha