Veterans Make Up 1 in 4 Homeless in US - pics and story

[Kadie]

Veterans Make Up 1 in 4 Homeless in US

By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer
11 minutes ago


WASHINGTON - Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.

And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.

The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars and says 400 of them have participated in its programs specifically targeting homelessness.

The Alliance to End Homelessness, a public education nonprofit, based the findings of its report on numbers from Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau. 2005 data estimated that 194,254 homeless people out of 744,313 on any given night were veterans.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071108/ap_on_re_us/homeless_veterans_2

Vietnam veteran Lonnie Bowen Jr. smokes a cigarette outside the The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)


Vietnam veteran Lonnie Bowen Jr., left, and Mark Salvatore, a homeless outreach nurse with the Veterans Administration embrace outside The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)


Homeless Vietnam veteran William Joyce is taken into the The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center by Mark Salvatore, a homeless outreach nurse with the Veterans Administration in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)


Mark Salvatore, left, a homeless outreach nurse with the Veterans Administration talks with homeless Vietnam veteran William Joyce in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

[SoCalDem]

1. Not surprising at all

Take a young person "out of the world" at the time when they should be laying the foundation for their working life..expose them to every horror imaginable..kill off their best friends (often splattering them with the blood of their friends)...pay them very little...injure them..and then claim the injury was not "military-related".. dump them back onto the streets of home, and pretend they do not exist..

Is it any wonder why so many end up homeless and hopeless?

[TahitiNut]

4. It'd take me weeks to describe the ways employers marginalize veterans.

As a white male, I realize I have almost no voice to complain about workplace discrimination - and it certainly hasn't kept me from being an outspoken activist in support of employment equity for women, GBLT, and minorities ... but I've also had my share of experience dealing with discrimination against veterans, including a 4-year stint as the workplace ombudsman (at a Federal contractor) for "Veterans Diversity."

From the very first day returning to my employment at Chevrolet after serving in Viet Nam, the "world" had changed. I was a leper. Office "jesters" found it funny that I had a startle response to loud, sharp noises and would be half-way under my desk if someone slammed a door or dropped a heavy computer listing. Conversations would halt as I passed and I'd get sidelong glances ... as though I was about to run amok or something. For many years, professional employment counselors would advise me to remove any mention of my Viet Nam service from my resume.

Employment discrimination is VERY insidious and I've seen far more than my share - mostly against others whom I've supported.

[flvegan]

2. And THAT is a fucking shame.

Shame on this country for the all too often abandonment of those that gave so much of themselves.

[mike_c]

3. is there any reason to believe that the homeless population...

...should reflect the general adult population? I'm not suggesting that there isn't, just asking the question. Statistical comparisons like this one always make me nervous because they don't explain the underlying assumptions well-- suppose both veterans and homeless folks tend to be drawn preferentially from some third distribution that differs from the general adult pop but which is closer to the 25% veteran composition?-- and because there is no indication of confidence these results differ from expectations. The results are based on subsampled veteran populations, so the raw numbers are not that informative IMO.

[TahitiNut]

6. This is always a problem with the reductionism inherent in statistics.

Whenever we simplify and reduce such dynamics, we tend to create the imprssion that there's some kind of isolatable phenomenon - some subsystem where all events save a few are endogenous. The truth is that there're very complex dynamics at work. When we have such stratification of a society that we can see HUGE differences in the "average" in terms of educational opportunities, probability of military service, or even growing up in a neighborhood with Little League, we're going to see a LOT of "blame the victim" outcomes.

We have the "rags to riches" myth in our country ... but we rarely comprehend even part of the complexity.

Over a lifetime, it is indeed possible for hard-working kids from lower class backgrounds to acheive 'success' and get a good job. What we don't take into account is that it's not over when the 'kid' graduates. Just because a person "launches" themselves with hard work and determination doesn't mean that they're not continually 'underprivileged.' Many folks hit "rough spots" during their lives ... in their 30s or 40s or 50s ... and those from more affluent families STILL have a better safety net, able to offer temporary housing, financial assistance, or even crony employment opportunities. The kid from the other side of the tracks doesn't have that safety net. But we RARELY expand our perspectives to accommodate that longer-term class mobility. In an economy with an increasing chasm between the "haves" and "have-nots" it's only getting worse. Yet we perpetuate the myth of "anyone can be a success" and fail to appreciate that it's actually exceptional.

[mike_c]

8. yeah-- on further reflection I think it is quite likely...

that vets and the homeless differ from the general adult population anyway. I suspect that both the homeless population AND military veterans are more likely to be drawn from the less advantaged segments of the general population, making comparisons to the general pop rather disingenuous.

on edit-- and reading the other replies in this thread, it seems that few folks question questionable statistics....

[TahitiNut]

10. We tend to assume that factors are uniformly distributed across the population.

I sometimes call it the "myth of the average." The fact of the matter is that we overwhelmingly distribute hardship to those already having hardships .., and distribute advantages to the already-advantaged.

I keep this in mind by using the paradigm of a professional sports stadium. It's often argued (falsely) that such a stadium "benefits" the community in proximity of the stadium, even though it eradicates residences and displaces people. But the funny thing is that the people "benefited" (who live nearby) are rarely able to AFFORD to attend a sporting event - where the cost might be a week's room and board - and the folks who're MOST ABLE TO AFFORD to attend are able to do so at no cost to themselves! (I just think that's bat-shit insane.) It's the most affluent who're 'guests' in luxury boxes and feted with noshes and beverages ... while the working poor pay through the nose.

More and more and more we're creating inequities ... and widening the chasm between the 'classes.' It feeds back into itself in a kind of hysteresis effect. But we celebrate when the 'average' goes up. Insane.

[izquierdista]

9. Look at the converse of this set

I would be willing to bet that of the people who DIDN'T serve, that is the group that got a deferment, maybe two, maybe even 5, they were able to continue in college and graduate or professional school. I'd be willing to bet that this group of people, for some odd reason, is UNDERREPRESENTED in the ranks of the homeless. Maybe I can get a grant to solve this baffling mystery. :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Yael]

5. This just makes me want to weep

[ClayZ]

7. This is damn sad.

K and R

[Monk06]

11. In Canada we have the Corps of Commissionaires ........

The Corp supplies all security personnel for
Government offices. Veterans have guaranteed
placement in these jobs when they cashier out
regardless of time served.

Those with skills in such things as airframe
and avionics and mechanics have very good
employment prospects in private aviation
and heavy vehicle manufacturing.

I have never heard of a case of a Canadian
vet unemployed let alone homeless.

[lonestarnot]

12. Damn fucking crying shame.

[libnnc]

13. kick for exposure

this is an important thread

Time to get back to reality and stop with all the silly "Hillary" threads.

:kick: