So Many Homeless Veterans in America

From: The Military Wallet

By: Ryan Guina

Veterans are 2 times as likely to become homeless as other Americans.

Why is that?

This article from The Military Wallet should help us understand.

America is proud of her veterans. That much we know. Our country does a lot for those who have worn the uniform and swore to defend our freedom. But sometimes people, even veterans fall through the cracks. There are over 630,000 homeless people in America. 67,495 are veterans. It amazes me that in today’s society, over 1 in 10 homeless people in America are veterans.

There are a variety of reasons for such a large percentage of homeless being veterans.

Studies show that the veteran population is 2x more likely to become chronically homeless than other American groups. There are many reasons veterans make up such a large percentage of the homeless population. Contributing factors include long periods of unemployment, foreclosure, mental illness, and poverty.

Here are some numbers to back up the contributing factors:

Over 968,000 veterans lived in poverty in the last year.

20,000 veterans with government sponsored mortgages lost their homes in 2010.

76% of homeless veterans experience alcohol, drug, or mental health issues. 30.2% of veterans ages 18-24 are unemployed.

It’s easy to jump to conclusions, but we shouldn’t. Here is some surprising information about homeless veterans:

89% received an honorable discharge.

67% served 3 years or more.

47% are Vietnam veterans

15% served before Vietnam

5.5% are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Click here for the FULL article.