It should be obvious that we have a problem here. While the cause and solution may be up for debate, there is no doubt, these people need help.13% of the homeless adult population are veterans 20% of the male homeless population are veterans 68% reside in principal cities 32% reside in suburban/rural areas 51% of individual homeless veterans have disabilities 50% have serious mental illness 70% have substance abuse problems 50% are age 51 or older, compared to 19% non-veterans
Imagine being told of a veteran who served heroically during wartime, put his life on the line to save another, or many others, and suffered a serious wound in the process. Upon returning home and being hospitalized for many months, he finally was able to begin to learn to walk again, with only one leg. He suffered from chronic pain and often struggled with PTSD just to fall asleep and be awaken by horrid dreams after a couple of hours to start the process all over again. He battled through this for years before being able to overcome it to the point where he could live a relatively normal, productive life. His kids were the stars of the school play and honor students. He served in his church and was a community leader. He set an example for all of those who knew him.
Wouldn't you like to be able to say thanks to this guy?
Now, imagine being told of a veteran who served heroically during wartime, put his life on the line to save another, or many others, and suffered a serious wound in the process. Upon returning home and being hospitalized for many months, he finally was able to begin to learn to walk again, with only one leg. He suffered from chronic pain and often struggled with PTSD just to fall asleep and be awaken by horrid dreams after a couple of hours to start the process all over again. He battled through this for years before succumbing to addiction from the painkillers he was prescribed. His wife could no longer stand the middle of the night screams and sued for divorce. Not being able to support himself because of the disability, he ended up living with friends until they no longer wanted him around. He was forced to live on the streets because he couldn't follow the rules of alcohol and drug use set by the homeless shelter. You pass him every day on your way to work. He looks like a bum and has a sign that says "homeless vet, please help".
...
I know how hard it is to find sympathy for folks "begging" on a street corner. I'm as guilty as anyone. What if the guy didn't go through the scenario above? What if he just liked to party too much and ended up on the street because he made one bad decision after another. What if he was just a scam artist? What if...
What if the next person that came along was just the person he needed to meet to be able to get himself back on track? What if that person was me? What if he were just one day away from giving up completely? What if that were today?
I don't propose to offer solutions. I don't believe there is "a solution". I don't believe everyone wants help or would benefit from it if they did. All I'm trying to do here is maybe shed a little light on a problem many would rather keep in the dark.
My goal is to honor our veterans. If I'm able to help a few in some way, I would be overjoyed. There are a LOT of other organizations and charities out there than can and do offer real help to a lot of people on a regular basis. I am thankful for those and may even try to partner with some of them if the possibility arises. If you are aware of some great organizations that help our vets, please comment here, or on the facebook page. We would love to help spread the word.
It is hard to say thank you to the 58.000 vets living on the streets tonight. It is hard to say it because the words "thank you" seem to fall flat in the light of the circumstances of those that would hear them. None the less, I am grateful for those that served.
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