They May Be Faceless on The Streets, But They Still Have a Voice
When you think of veterans the word honor, courageous & sacrifice comes to mind; you also think of how they fought for our country and remember the times when they were once saluted and celebrated.
Photo by Cambridgema.gov
However, today we simply pass them by as they lay in the streets with no place to go. We don’t celebrate them anymore, we merely tolerate them. Shouldn’t there be more success stories? Why does it take so long for vets to get help? Shouldn’t help already have been provided prior to being discharged. This photo couldn’t have said it better; “If America is the home of the brave, why are the braves homeless?” Now that’s a Good question.
Photo by butnotyet.com
So, why is it more often than not that we hear more stories about homeless vets? According to Military.com, “it has been estimated that fewer than 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night and that twice as many veterans experience homelessness during a year.” But, the question is, why are there still so many homeless vets out there with so many programs that are readily available? Those numbers are staggering and something must be done about it.
Here are some facts about homeless vets in the U.S. today. What’s being done to help combat this crisis?
Photo by blog.endhomelessness.org
http://storify.com/dagarv7/homeless-veterans-in-atlanta-needs-your-support
There is something so wrong about this and it must change, and with the help of the National Coalition for Homeless Vets (NCHV) and the support from communities all over the country coming together in collaboration, homelessness among the vets can stop, but it must began by the restructuring of public policies.
According to the NCHV they say they “will end homelessness among veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers.” NCHV also states that HUD had published a notice on December 12, 2013, in accordance with the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, Federal Register identifying Federal buildings and other real property HUD has reviewed as suitable for use to assist the homeless. This is a big new for the homeless vets. This will create more opportunity for space to house the vets in need.