There is a new generation of veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars. A lot of them deal with a great deal of difficulties upon return from the theaters of operations. Among other issues such as mental distress suffered in combat, the brand new generation of vets has a greater rate than normal of being homeless and unemployment. Article source - Homelessness and unemployment plague new veterans
by Newsytype.com.
Trying to get a job again
Many veterans realize they have to become a civilian again and discover a job after getting discharged. The LA Times reports that vets have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country which shows they're having trouble with it. There is an overall joblessness rate of 9.2 percent in the U.S. as of June this year. It was 13.3 percent for vets of the last 10 years which is over 4 percent higher. After getting out of the service, over 200,000 returning veterans went to the labor force in just the last year. Finding employment isn't easy at all for these individuals. This is because most of them do not have college degrees to work with.
The homeless vets for mental health
Of the Iraq and Afghan wars, about 9,000 veterans are or were homeless at one point, the Veterans Administration estimates, states CBS. It is believed the Iraq and Afghan wars have produced a new generation of vets with a greater degree of mental health issues. There have been over 300,000 of the 2 million Iraq and Afghan war vets that have asked the Vets Administration for some mental health services already. This is because there have been lots of cases of PTSD and psychological trauma from roadside bombs. The National Coalition for Homeless Vets said the VA estimates about 107,000 veterans are considered homeless any night in The United States, although the number is likely higher than that. As reported by a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, during one night in Jan 2009 an estimated 75,609 vets were classifiable as homeless, 43 percent of whom were on the street or squatting in a location "not meant for human habitation." For 2009, there were many veterans that spent time in a homeless shelter. There were around 136,334 that spent at least one night in one.
The G.I. Bill
There are many reasons for vets to become homeless. Many encounter hard times due to drug and alcohol abuse, and others can't secure gainful employment. The poverty rate in America is higher than the veteran poverty rate. This is in spite of the fact that there are about 1.1 million American veterans that are living in poverty, as reported by a 2008 UVa Today article. The homeless veterans are typically the same type. They are usually single males that do not have a lot of education. Vets have access to financial aid through the G.I. Bill, but as reported by a 2008 article in the Boston Globe, successfully filing for and receiving benefits is difficult, and the G.I. Bill doesn't always provide adequate funding for the full cost of a college education.
Homeless veterans can get help. The vets Administration is always available: http://www.va.gov/homeless/
Citations
Los Angeles Times
latimes.com/business/la-fi-veteranjobs-20110711,0,3234204.story
CBS
cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/10/60minutes/main20072997.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
nchv.org/background.cfm
HUD study on homeless veterans
hudhre.info/documents/2009AHARVeteransReport.pdf
UVa Today
virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=6947
Boston Globe
boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/02/10/gi_bill_falling_short_of_college_tuition_costs/?page=1
