Homeless veterans and the challenges

Homelessness Among Veterans

Among the social problems that have continuously bothered successive governments over the years. The problem is further compounded bearing that the veterans offered their best duty to the country when the need was most dire. As the years pass, as the US engages in one more war, veterans keep increasing and prospect for having more veterans will keep going up. The increase is astronomical for the homeless veterans. Currently at least 15% of the homeless population is consisted of the veterans. By 2008 there were approximately 135,000 homeless veterans tough this number is said to have reduced by 47% by 2016 (U.S. Department of Homeless Veterans, 2017).

Veterans are said to the prone to being homeless than other Americans by 50% due to poverty, poor support network and squalid living environments within overcrowded housing units. It is estimated that 1.5 million veterans are considered as at risk population, meaning they pay more than 50% of the household income on rent. At risk population also includes households with members who live with disability, one living alone and one who is not in labor force. The greatest risk and cause of homelessness among veterans is the social isolation after discharge and the lack of social network supports to get into. They divorce rates are high and the marriage rate are low and as it is currently 1 of 5 veterans lives alone. Almost half a million veterans are severely rent burdened and are paying more than 50% of their regular income to the house rents. Of these, 55% of them fall below the poverty line and another 43% receive food stamps. Another explanation by the donors towards the veteran affairs indicates that it takes long for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to get their compensation with an average of 45% of the 1.6 million veterans. The waiting period is 8 months span with the range being 10% disability getting $127 to full disability getting $2,769 (Green Donors, 2017).