Vets are home and homeless

[bigtree]

After fighting in Iraq, some end up on streets

Sunday, April 15, 2007

{snip}

On any given night, an estimated 100 to 300 vets who were part of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom (the government's name for its Afghanistan campaign) live in transient conditions, according to organizations that help homeless ex-GIs. These men and women who once proudly represented the U.S. military now live on the street, in shelters, in their cars, with their friends -- anywhere they can unload their belongings for a night or two or longer. The number may seem low, but homeless advocates worry that these wars will eventually produce tens of thousands of homeless vets, as the Vietnam War did.

Swords to Ploughshares, the San Francisco organization that helps former military personnel who are homeless, has seen more than 20 Iraq War veterans. Vietnam Veterans of California, which has temporary housing sites throughout Northern California, says it has assisted more than 60 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom who were in need of permanent housing.

About 200,000 veterans are homeless in the United States, according to estimates by the Department of Veterans Affairs, with about 80,000 having been in Vietnam. About 2.8 million Americans served in Vietnam. So far 1.5 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Judging by experience, tens of thousands of Americans who went to Iraq and Afghanistan will eventually become homeless -- a number that Veterans Affairs is woefully unprepared for, says Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army lieutenant who fought in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and now heads a group called Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which lobbies on behalf of homeless vets.

"History is repeating itself," Rieckhoff says. "Systemwide, there's not an adequate plan in place to deal with homelessness. ... It starts with a lack of adequate transitional resources and capacity, but there's also a lack of beds, a lack of outreach, a lack of good data. One of my biggest criticisms of the VA is that they don't have an accurate tracking mechanism. If you ask the secretary of the VA how many people are homeless, he won't be able to tell you adequately. He can't even tell you how many people are dead, because there is no registry. That's one of the legislative initiatives that we've been pushing for -- a Department of Defense registry that tracks everyone from the moment they get home."

Upon returning to the United States, veterans must register with a system already backlogged with 400,000 applications for disability benefits, a bottleneck that puts veterans at risk of homelessness, warns Linda Bilmes, a Harvard lecturer in Public Policy who is the author of a paper published in January, "Soldiers Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan: The Long-term Costs of Providing Veterans Medical Care and Disability Benefits."

During the long wait for their first disability check -- six months or longer -- "veterans, particularly those in a state of mental distress, are most at risk for serious problems, including suicide, falling into substance abuse, divorce, losing their job, or becoming homeless," Bilmes warns in her report.

more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/04/15/INGO8P5G391.DTL



http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[Deja Q]

1. So are non-vets, but the fact vets are discarded so readily is a disturbing thought.

Vietnam vets were poorly treated as well. Why didn't we learn from that?

[bigtree]

4. It's a typical republican attitude. "with us or against us"

As long as the troops are serving their agenda they're gold; but only in the republican rhetoric. Once they were done with these folks they cast them aside like everyone else who doesn't serve their hunger for conquest and greed for power, money, and influence.

[Solly Mack]

2. Quick! grab the facade of greatest nation in the world and cover the ugly up

We want pomp and circumstance. We want bells and whistles. We want parades,floats and lots of flag waving.

[acmavm]

3. As tragic and sad as this might be everyone has to remember it's just

a part of the bush** administration's pattern of using and discarding the American people. More and more people in this country, and not just the vets back from Iraq, are finding themselves homeless every day. Foreclosures and job losses are climbing daily.

[bigtree]

5. we had the same thought

It's standard for republicans to puff up about someone who's serving whatever scheme they've conjured up. When they're finished, and they've scooped up as much for themselves as they're able, they won't recognize you. The arrogance of power is stunning in their ability to posture and profiteer behind the sacrifices of our military with impunity.

[unhappycamper]

6. If you thought the human fallout from Vietnam was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Entire families have lost everything from repeated deployments. I think PTSD will be a generation-killer as a results of *'s little adventure.

PTSD, tramatic brain injury, life changing wounds and depleted uranium poisoning is going to make the Vietnam fallout look like a trial run.

[VP505]

7. What we see now

is just barely the start of our "homeless Vet" problem. Through the 90'S the VA Medical Center here where I live had a fairly large Psych inpatient ward, a large PTSD program, a 28 bed inpatient substance abuse program, a large outpatient substance abuse program and an off site transitional living facility (half-way house), with all the incidental support programs needed. Many Vietnam and Gulf War Vets received a lot of help through their programs but then the budget cuts started and now there is barely anything available for any Vet much less the Iraq vets that we all know will be needing services.

[bigtree]

8. The young folks left apartments and rooms they were sharing behind when they deployed

They have all of the problems that the rest of those in their communities are experiencing. It should be obvious, but, when we call the military support organizations, they have nothing at all to offer folks who've been discharged. They refer you to your local social services which have no policy of any preferential attention for vets. It's really discouraging. If they have a marginal injury which limits their ability to perform the jobs available, there's no bridge of support for them outside of the same resources the rest of the civilian community is stuck with.

The funny thing is that everyone refers you to the VA, but the centers are almost always miles and miles away. The distance can be daunting. The phone tag that you have to go through can be expensive. The web sites which have the info you need to apply look old and are limited in explanations, long on forms.

The first thing that a vet would look to do to get a hold of some military support would be to join the VA. NOTHING will come from the military for a non-disabled or limited disabled vet until they pay the fee and sign up for membership. I think this is a ridiculous process. The fee is one thing, and the wait is another. It can be months and months and months before a vet hears back from the Va.; and that's just for their initial application interview. There aren't many of these vets who are in a position to stay put and wait.

I recall the young friend of my son who had been serving in Germany when Bush decided to go to war, who got shipped from there to Iraq. His mom got sick and died during that time and the Army shipped him home for her funeral and eventually ordered him back to Iraq. He left his 18 year old brother in the small apartment where they had spent a good part of their lives, and the kid just turned wild; drinking and smoking and whatnot. But, the young soldier had to leave him there, hoping the kid could fend for himself. A short time later, the soldier had an accident over there and banged up both arms. He spent some time in a hospital before they shipped him back home with a medical discharge. Three years of his life had gone by in the service, and now he was back. He received the lowest rating that he could have and still be eligible for benefits. He would receive no retirement pay, no pension because of his short enlistment.

His injured arms hung at his side most of the time and I could see the pain in his eyes as he tried to lift them to do the smallest of tasks, and he couldn't hardly grip the dozen or so beers that he would put away every night. But they had sent him packing without any information about benefits or any care that this young man couldn't possibly work a normal job with his injuries. To make matters worse, he found his brother on the street, broken down and drugged or drunk, and had a hard time convincing him to come home. The local cops had impounded his car that he had shipped from Germany because of the out of country plates. He was near busted and he despaired about how he and his brother would survive on their own.

I had just begun to collect everything I thought was relevant to these soldiers lives, not on a web page yet, but on sheets of paper I printed out on my computer that I carried to protests and such in a small suitcase I carried with me, about ways to donate, who to contact and the like. I promised this young man that I would help him. "Don't worry," I told him, not believing the sound of my own voice, "I'll find you help."

I let him go back to his town, promising that I would be in touch. I set to work the next day. The first number I called was an Army relief center. The man on the other end of the line listened to my query for a while and then interrupted, "Is he still in the service?" he asked. I told him no and he bluntly informed me that once these soldiers get discharged there was nothing his agency could do for them. "Did you try Social Services?" he asked. That was my first lesson. We put these folks out there on the line for our country, but when we are done with them they are thrown in line with the rest of the unfortunates to beg for relief.

The young man had lost his records and he would have to appeal to get his disability rating raised so I set to work again. Here's what I sent him (as an example, for my state)

CALL: MAC VETS- Maryland Center for Veteran's Education and Training

1-410-642-1693 Ask for Anthony Gibson: Lay it all on him and ask his advice and direction. This is a Veteran's Service Organization in Baltimore. Don't let Baltimore scare you away from getting benefits. It just happens to be the place where most of the region's veteran's facilities are located. Don't sweat transportation as most of the initial contacts can be made by mail, phone, or on line. I can help with any of that, and I can be counted on for transport as well to Baltimore if necessary. With that in mind,

I've arranged for your enrollment form for the Veteran's Administration to come to my house. I'll forward it to you with all of the info for you to fill out and send back to the VA. It has to go to a VA medical center . . .

You will need to send a copy of your discharge papers along with the VA enrollment application.

I have enclosed the records request form and instructions. Mail it to the:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

You should not be going hungry. You should be eligible for Food Stamps. Its really a card that you use at the grocery with no stigma attached. No reason not to pursue this immediately! I've enclosed the application. Fill it out and take it and your brother to the office at 401 Hungerford Rd.

5th Floor phone# [phone] Thirty days from your application(s) you should receive the food stipend. (I'm not sure about other states)

What to Bring:
Proof of identity (driver’s license, ID card);
Proof of address, unless you are homeless (apartment or house lease, electric, gas, water or phone bill, rent book or receipt, or mortgage statement);
Social Security Number for everyone you are applying for. If you don’t have a number you will have to apply for one;
Proof of the amount all earned and unearned income before taxes or deductions (pay stubs for the past month or two, employer wage statement, benefit letters from Social Security, unemployment compensation, Veteran’s Administration or pensions)
Proof of shelter costs. If you want us to count your actual utility expenses you will have to verify them (rent or mortgage, insurance on your house, telephone, gas, electric, oil and water bills);
Proof of any cash or non-cash assets (most recent savings and checking account statement, value of stocks or bonds);
Proof of immigration status for non-citizens who are applying for food stamps (you do not have to provide any immigration information on people who are not applying for food stamps);
Proof of child support payments you make if you want us to consider the amount you pay (support order, separation agreement, child support records);
Proof of out-of-pocket medical expenses if you are age 60 or older or receive federal disability benefits (doctor or hospital bills; prescription receipts, receipts for over-the-counter medical expenses if prescribed by a medical practitioner; transportation costs to get to medical care);
Proof of child care expenses if you are working or looking for work or in training.

CALL: (Mont.) County Rental Assistance- 240-777-4550 Lay it on 'em.

Income Support- 240-777-1101 Same.

For Immediate Health Concerns:

(Community Clinic) of Rockville
107 Fleet St. Rockville Md.20850
310-340-9666- appointment only
Accepted Regardless of Income

SHELTER:
Salvation Army
202 S.Summit Ave.
Gaithersburg, Md.
310-948-1947

Mont. Co. Health and Human Services
Emergency Housing
401 Hungerford Rd. Suite 500
Rockville, Md. 20850
#Rockville, 240-777-4550
#Germantown, 240-777-4448

Also check and see if there are any youth hostels nearby. They can provide cheap, temporary lodging.


that's all I could come up with after DAYS of working on it. We never heard from the young man again, but he did get the packet I sent.

[bigtree]

9. kick

[Karenina]

10. Vets are receiving as much consideration

as a used Kleenex tissue.

[nam78_two]

11. K&R.nt

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[babylonsister]

13. Rec'd. So tragic and avoidable. nt

[Jcrowley]

14. Kick and Rec

How Many Homeless Veterans Are There?

"Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by ... no one keeps national records on homeless veterans ... the VA estimates that more than 299,321 veterans are homeless on any given night. And, more than half a million experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every four homeless males who is sleeping in a doorway, alley, or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served our country ... now they need America to remember them."

http://participation.blogspot.com/2005/02/homeless-veterans.html