There are 200,000 homeless veterans on any one day, up to 400,000 during any year

SOME NUMBERS

Total US homeless population 2005 Estimate:  Approximately 744,313 people homeless on a single night.  This includes 56% in shelters, 44% unsheltered; 59% single adults, 41% in families (98,452 families counted); 23% chronically homeless (171,200 disabled and long term or repeatedly homeless).  The 172,000 chronically homeless use up 50% of the services. 

Of the total homeless population, 66 % (491,000) are males;   93% (456,700) of homeless males are 25 or older; 

The total population of the United States: 

As of February 20, 2008: 303,477,991 According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

The total male population over 25 is 92,800,000.

The total population of veterans: 26,403,000, of which 24,810,000 are men and 1,593,000 are women as of census 2000. 

Total estimated spending for veterans: $234 per veteran.

55% of the cities required homeless families to breakup in order to receive emergency shelter
(The expression on the face of the little girl wearing the purple and white jacket says it all.)

HOMELESS VETERANS: 54% of cities required the people to evacuate homeless shelters during the day.

Homeless veterans:

There are 200,000 homeless veterans on any one day, up to 400,000 during any year; 97% of the homeless veterans (194,000) are male, and 3% (6,000) female on any one day.  These are the VA’s best estimates.  No one is really counting.  56% (112,000) are African American or Hispanic.  

Of these 45% (86,000) suffer from mental illness and (with considerable overlap) 73% (146,000) suffer from alcohol and substance abuse. 

43% of homeless males 25 and older are veterans.  

 
President Bush said: “Over the past 7 years, we have increased funding for veterans by more than 95 percent. As we increase funding, we must also reform our veterans system to meet the needs of a new war and a new generation.”

FACT — 1.8 MILLION VETERANS LACK HEALTH INSURANCE: “The new study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, estimated that in 2004 nearly 1.8 million veterans were uninsured and unable to get care in veterans’ facilities.” [New York Times, 11/9/07]

FACT — NUMBER OF UNINSURED VETERANS INCREASED BETWEEN 2000 AND 2004: “Just under two million veterans (12.7 percent of non-elderly veterans) were uninsured in 2004, up 290,000 since 2000, the study published in the December, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health found.” [Harvard Science, 10/30/07]

FACT — NEARLY 20 PERCENT OF VETERANS RETURNING FROM IRAQ HAVE MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES: “Screening efforts show 10% to 20% of Marines and soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq may have suffered this wound, according to the Army. The task force last May found that ‘major gaps’ in identifying and treating the injury ‘were created by a lack of coordination and policy-driven approaches.’” [USA Today, 1/18/08]

FACT — NUMBER OF PTSD CASES INCREASING DRAMATICALLY: “The number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the Department of Veterans Affairs jumped by nearly 20,000 — almost 70% — in the 12 months ending June 30, VA records show.” [USA Today, 10/18/07]

SOLDIERS FACE NEGLECT, FRUSTRATION AT ARMY'S TOP MEDICAL FACILITY

By Dana Priest and Anne Hull
Washington Post Staff Writers
 
Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html

BUSH BUDGET RAISES PRESCRIPTION PRICES FOR MANY VETERANS

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 - President Bush's budget would more than double the co-payment charged to many veterans for prescription drugs and would require some to pay a new fee of $250 a year for the privilege of using government health care, administration officials said Sunday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/07/politics/07budget.html?_r=1&oref=login&oref=slogin

Total estimated spending for veterans: $234 per veteran per year.

VETERANS' RIGHTS

I believe that the ill-advised and illegal actions of the United States administration have unnecessarily put our troops in harms way.  I further believe that the dangerous burden of fighting the unnecessary war in Iraq and the wars that may follow, due to both the Democrat and Republican Party’s overly narrow and militaristic response to terrorism is disproportionately borne by families of lesser means. Those who are required to carry out militaristic policies, often with great hardship to themselves, their families, and even the risk of their lives, deserve our respect and our commitment to adequate compensation and benefits.

I recommend the following actions:

1.  Increase the current pay levels, monthly imminent danger pay, and family separation allowances for those risking their lives in combat zones.

2.  Ensure that all pre-deployment physicals are completed and carried out within the standard allotted time period and that medical follow-ups are routinely done on all soldiers.

3.  Establish a panel of independent medical doctors to examine and oversee the policies of the military regarding forced vaccinations and shots, often with experimental drugs.

4.  Honor all laws concerning time limits on deployments.

5.  Provide better care for the wounded, sick, and injured soldiers returning home. The Pentagon must take all steps necessary to fully diagnose and treat both physical and mental health conditions resulting from service in all combat zones.

6.  Ensure a smooth transition from active military service to civilian life by providing counseling, housing, emergency management, job protection, and other support systems.

7.  Restore full funding for veterans' health programs.

8.  Request Congress to enact a new GI Bill, similar to the one that began after World War II and ended in 1981, to provide the following benefits:

·        Tuition grants for four years of college or other educational opportunities.

·        Low interest loans for housing or business start-ups.

·        Free medical care for military personnel and their families for ten years following separation from the armed forces - until universal health care becomes a reality.

9.  Support and respect Conscientious Objector status during all phases of the process. We fully support the right of individuals in the military service to modify or completely separate from military involvement because of conscientious objection. We call upon all military entities and officers to support a transparent and democratic conscientious objection process free of harassment, imprisonment, or deployment to war zones for those pursuing the conscientious objection process.

10. Recognized, independent veteran organizations must have access to military personnel to ensure they are being informed of their rights.  This is especially true for those who are hospitalized due to service related injuries or illnesses.