Homelessness Among Veterans: Causes, Challenges, and Solutions

Defining the Homeless Veteran

Montgomery, Fargo, Byrne, and Culhane (2013a) enumerate relevant statistics: approximately 12% of the adult homeless population is comprised of veterans. Approximately 40% of homeless veterans are Hispanic or African American, even though these groups account for only 3.4% and 10.4% of the total U.S. veteran population, respectively. Homeless veterans are younger, on average, than the total veteran population. About 9% are aged between 18 and 30, and 41% are aged between 31 and 50 years. By contrast, only 5% of all homeless veterans are between 18 and 30, and fewer than 23% are between 31 and 50 years old. But even as these statistics are examined, what exactly qualifies someone to be referred to as a homeless veteran?

Ami Rokach (2004), in his discussion of the causes and consequences of homelessness, identifies American homeless veterans as those who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Panama, Grenada, the Persian Gulf War, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the military anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Any man or woman who served in these conflicts and now lacks a permanent home qualifies as a homeless veteran.

In order to qualify for assistance under the homeless veterans program, which is governed by Title 38 of the U.S. Code, veterans must meet the formal definition of a homeless veteran. The term contains two layers of definition. According to Tsai, Mares, and Rosenheck (2013b), the first component defines "veteran" as anyone who served in active military, naval, or air force service and was not discharged dishonorably, for purposes of Title 38 benefits. The second component holds that veterans are considered homeless if they meet the definition of homeless individuals codified under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. About half of all homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era, two-thirds served for at least three years, and about one-third were stationed in a war zone.

History of Veteran Homelessness in America

Historically, many fighters in the U.S. have ended up homeless. It is well established that wars often lead to homelessness in the territories where combat occurs. Armed forces veterans have had firsthand experience with homelessness, and in the United States this phenomenon dates back to the colonial period, when rising numbers of vagabonds were noted in urban areas at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. According to Montgomery, Fargo, Byrne, and Culhane (2013b), by 1784 the number of homeless people was increasing at an alarming rate, most noticeably in cities. The post-Civil War era witnessed even more significant growth in homelessness. During this era, homeless veterans would sing old army songs to dramatize their need for work, which led to them being called "tramps" — a word derived from the act of marching off to war.

After World War I, thousands of veterans, many of them homeless, camped in the nation's capital demanding bonus payments. The government destroyed their camps, causing a major public relations disaster for President Herbert Hoover. The end of the Vietnam War coincided with a period of economic restructuring following the conflict, succeeded by a severe economic recession. Many of those who had fought in Vietnam were also the individuals most affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs. Montgomery (2013b) notes that by the 1870s, homelessness among veterans had been identified as a national issue, with many war veterans riding the rails and congregating in cities, most of them having sustained physical injuries and psychological trauma during their service.

As Tsai, Edens, and Rosenheck (2013a) highlight in their research on chronically homeless adults, the transition of veterans to life on the streets was deeply traumatic, and their problems grew more aggravated and chronic as they aged. By the 1870s, deepening economic recession prompted most cities to create new anti-vagrancy legislation. By the 1970s, modern homelessness had emerged as a serious social phenomenon, with a significant proportion of men sleeping outdoors in major cities identified as armed forces veterans. Many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and physical disabilities resulting from their combat experiences.

According to Chinman, Hannah, and McCarthy (2009), by 2011 approximately 76,000 veterans were homeless on any given night, and within that same year an average of 136,000 veterans may have experienced homelessness. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has estimated that 250,000 veterans are homeless nationwide, and that as many as half a million veterans experience homelessness over the course of a year — representing around 2% of all living American veterans.

Circumstances Leading to Veteran Homelessness

The increased incidence of homelessness among veterans is primarily a result of combat-related disabilities and trauma, as well as the government's failure to provide adequate housing assistance benefits for low-income and disabled veterans. VA disability benefits and other public benefits have failed to provide appropriate housing assistance, reaching less than 10% of the estimated number of veterans who experience homelessness each year, as noted by Metraux, Limin, John et al. (2013). Given the high prevalence of mental illness and other disabilities among homeless veterans, there is a strong need for supportive housing that includes on-site support services for veterans living with mental illness and other disabilities.

Tessler, Rosenheck, and Gamache (2002b), comparing the circumstances of homeless veterans and homeless people from other backgrounds, note that in addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homelessness — including extreme shortage of affordable housing, insufficient income, and lack of access to healthcare — a large number of at-risk veterans also live with the lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, further compounded by a lack of social and family support networks.

Elbogen, Sullivan, Wolfe, and Wagner (2013) identify the difficulty of achieving financial stability after military service as another major contributing factor to veteran homelessness. Military occupations and the training veterans undergo are not always transferable to the civilian workforce, placing veterans at a disadvantage when seeking employment. Physical and psychological injuries further reduce employability. Veterans also face barriers such as unstable employment, difficulty budgeting, limited financial literacy, poor financial decision-making, and lack of material security — factors that exist independently from any formal mental health diagnosis.

Conclusion

The veteran population is among the most vulnerable in America and deserves comprehensive, sustained support. The federal government and the VA must develop stronger measures to combat homelessness among veterans. Homelessness in the veteran community is a solvable problem — one that, given the resources and political will available in modern society, should be a relic of the past rather than an ongoing crisis. Ensuring that those who sacrificed for the nation are not left to live on its streets is both a moral obligation and a policy imperative.