At the Senate Appropriations Committee, Joint Subcommittee meeting on “Homeless Veterans,” Cheryl Beversdorf, President and CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, says the [the reasons for homelessness] are the health issues, since “let’s face it” when people come back from war, they’re changed. Also, brain injuries and other health issues, mental health and substance abuse issues. Secondly, there is the employment issues: they went into the military young, and their skills may not be transferable once they leave, and they don’t know how to get a job in the civilian sector. Third: affordable housing. (1:13)

 

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At the Senate Appropriations Committee, Joint Subcommittee meeting on “Homeless Veterans,” Senator Patty Murray(D-WA) said when our country fails to live up to obligations to our veterans, there is a result of high rates of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and chronic unemployment, and all of these are contributing factors to homelessness. Experts estimate that 1 in 4 of all the nation’s homeless are veterans. Our veterans are heroes, she said, and we must ensure that they never reach the point of homelessness. Women veterans are the fastest growing group of homeless veterans, and we must ensure that the Veteran’s Administration evolves along with the needs of the veterans that it is serving, but HUD (Housing and Urban Development) must take steps to promote affordable housing. (more…)