Returning Veterans Must Fight for Shelter, Jobs, Health Care

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/11/11/returning-veterans-must-fight-for-shelter-jobs-and-health-care/

by James Parks, Nov 11, 2007

Today we honor veterans on the official observance of Veterans Day, and the AFL-CIO pays tribute to the brave men and women, many of them union members, who served in the armed forces.

Yet, it is clear that thousands of soldiers, including those whom the Bush administration has sent to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, face another tough battle when they return home—lack of U.S. support to ensure they have the basic necessities of life such as shelter, a decent job and health care.



It’s an outrage to learn that hundreds of thousands of veterans of all ages are homeless. A study by the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows that some 195,827 veterans were homeless on a given night in 2006—an increase from 194,254 in 2005. The alliance estimates that more than 336,600 veterans experienced homeless at some time in 2006.

Veterans make up a disproportionate share of homeless people, NAEH found. They represent roughly 26 percent of the nearly 2 million homeless people, but only 11 percent of the civilian population.

Erik Eckholm reports in The New York Times that the government and aid groups say they expect a new surge in homeless veterans in the years ahead

The homelessness crisis among veterans is fueled by the lack of family-supporting jobs and affordable housing. The alliance estimates that nearly half a million (467,877) veterans are paying more than 50 percent of their income for rent. More than half (55 percent) of veterans with severe housing costs fall below the poverty level, and 43 percent are receiving foods stamps.

FULL story at link.