hvactec
VIP Member
The number of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is exploding in the United States. There are nearly ten thousand, five hundred who are either living on the streets or in temporary housing or receiving federal vouchers to help pay rent for an apartment. That's according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2006 there were around 1300 homeless vets who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. That number has doubled three times in about six years. Of the nearly 10-thousand five hundred currently homeless, about 13% are women.
The Veterans Administration blames the rise on a number of factors including a poor economy but also on the nature of the current wars, where many soldiers serve multiple deployments and suffer psychologically from what they have seen and experienced.
Steve Berg of the National Alliance to End Homelessness says soldiers experiencing post tramatic stress or suffering from brain injuries are quite challenged in many areas coming home from war.
Americans paying their respects to fallen soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are astounded by the high number of vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan who are now homeless.
Government and non-profit groups are pouring more resources than ever into fighting veteran homelessness. The VA is steering $60 million to a grant program for veterans with families who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes.
And more than 46 million is going to expand the rent subsidy voucher program for vets. There are more than 2,400 non-profit organizations across the country helping homeless vets.
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