Veterans of War

"We have made great progress over the past few years because of leaders... who refuse to accept veteran homelessness as a fact of life. And now we have to finish the job once and for all, because when a veteran comes home kissing the ground, it is unacceptable that he should ever have to sleep on it." - First Lady Michelle Obama, June 4, 2014

On June 4th last year, First Lady Michelle Obama stepped forward to announce the Obama administration's Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. With 58,000 homeless veterans (.3% of the total veteran population) spread out across the U.S., she argued, this number could and should be brought down to zero by the end of 2015. At the time, Ms. Obama had 77 mayors, four governors and four county officials on board. Today, those numbers have grown to include 585 mayors, 8 governors and 152 county and city officials and unlike much of the news coming out these days concerning veteran affairs, the forecast regarding veteran homelessness is looking good. 

This past January, New Orleans became the first city in the U.S. to announce victory in the war on veteran homelessness. All across the country states are improving, in part thanks to the 300% increase in spending on homeless vets that has occurred during President Obama's tenure as president. The result: homelessness amongst veterans has decreased by about a third since 2010. 

In 2013, 3 Generations interviewed Lisa Pape, the National Director of Homeless & Residential Rehab Treatment Programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as part of our Clinton Global Initiative commitment to action. Last month, President Obama renewed his commitment to veterans stating, "We stand by our pledge. We are going to keep at it until every veteran who has fought for America has a place to call home in America." In light of the renewal of his pledge, we aim to renew ours. We're thrilled to be able to share our interview with Ms. Pape, now the National Director of Homeless Programs for the Veterans Health Administration, with you and hope that her words will inspire you to take action on homelessness among veterans as well. Watch her interview here and check out the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's page on the Mayors Challenge to see what you can do to end veteran homelessness. 

As always, 3 Generations depends on the support of people like you. Your contributions help us produce videos like Lisa Pape's, which serve to educate the public on issues facing America's veterans. Please consider donating today. 

Sources: NPR and The New York Times 

Links:

• Hear Lisa Pape's Story

Despite the scandal, despite the reform, despite the resignation of the Veterans Affairs Secretary, thousands of our nation’s heroes still find themselves waiting months on end for a doctor’s appointment. Countless more still find themselves on the streets, lacking any form of housing. To these veterans, the wounds of service go beyond the physical scars incurred on the battlefield. Even in 2015, many of our veterans return home to face even more daunting challenges; unemployment, homelessness, and the struggles of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).   

In Los Angeles, thousands of veteran patients in the VA Greater LA Healthcare System face egregious wait times for appointments. Recent findings in January by Los Angeles’ VA department shows new veteran patients wait an average of 48 days before receiving medical assistant. Furthermore, with PTSD becoming an ever growing concern, new mental health patients in Los Angeles are waiting over a month to get an appointment. Since January, the average wait time has decreased by 4 days.

The situation goes beyond health care. There are nearly 50,000 homeless veterans in the US. Los Angeles remains the city with the most homeless veterans where there are as many as 3,700 veterans on the street on any given night. And while the VA has pledge to end homeless among veterans by the end of 2015, the number has only decreased by 33% since 2010. As the days until December 31st countdown, one thing is certain: little has improved for our nation’s veterans.

For veterans, the burden of service should not remain once they return home. 3 Generations’ campaign to value our veterans aims to provide our servicemen venues to share their stories in communities where both the storyteller and listener can find relief. By conveying the stories of veterans who have found help and who continue to struggle alike, we look to examine ways to address the issues at hand and bring these solutions to the forefront. With your support, we can help ensure that our nation’s veterans receive the service they deserve for the service they have provided us.