More Assistance for Homeless Veterans Homelessness is an unfortunate occurrence that can affect some Americans, including non-veterans and veterans. A veteran "is a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable" (qtd. in Perl 2-3). In Jason Davis ' blog entry "The ‘Invisible Monster ': A Homeless Female Veteran 's Journey to Take Back Her Life from PTSD," he focuses Casondra Williams, a former homeless veteran. During Williams ' service in the Army, she was sexually assaulted many times by other soldiers; some of the encounters were not handled properly by superiors (Davis). A few years after departing the Army and obtaining a job, "personal
…show more content…
While the system created by the Obama administration may not cater to nonveteran homelessness, it is not the only cause of the increase in the population of nonveteran homelessness. Some homeless veterans may refuse the assistance due to the failures of the prior systems (Wogan). There is a shortage of housing units which has increased the cost of housing. Increases in housing costs induce homelessness. Increased housing costs can affect veterans and nonveterans alike. J.B. Wogan suggests, "veterans, after all, receive bipartisan support in Congress and represent such a small part of the overall homeless population." Although homeless veterans receive support from Congress, their population is much smaller than the population of homeless non-veterans. A large population of non-veteran homelessness may not go unnoticed. At some point, the larger population may be recognized creating funding cuts for the smaller …show more content…
The population of homeless veterans declined since the additional funding, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly how much of the decline is influenced by the vouchers (Fischer). It is believed HUD-VASH vouchers had a significant part in the decline (Fischer). This belief is very plausible due to the fact veteran homelessness decreased after the funding was provided. Several thousand poverty-stricken veterans are benefiting from housing through rental assistance programs known as "housing first" (Fischer). The assistance provides housing for the veterans while they can focus on their health care or food needs. However, there are more veterans in need of this assistance program. After funding cuts in 2013, it was estimated 49,900 veterans were homeless on one given night in 2014; some of them living in uninhabitable places and others in emergency shelters (Fischer). Congress should reverse the funding cuts or create additional programs to provide housing for homeless
While the system created by the Obama administration may not cater to nonveteran homelessness, it is not the only cause of the increase in the population of nonveteran homelessness. Some homeless veterans may refuse the assistance due to the failures of the prior systems (Wogan). There is a shortage of housing units which has increased the cost of housing. Increases in housing costs induce homelessness. Increased housing costs can affect veterans and nonveterans alike. J.B. Wogan suggests, "veterans, after all, receive bipartisan support in Congress and represent such a small part of the overall homeless population." Although homeless veterans receive support from Congress, their population is much smaller than the population of homeless non-veterans. A large population of non-veteran homelessness may not go unnoticed. At some point, the larger population may be recognized creating funding cuts for the smaller …show more content…
The population of homeless veterans declined since the additional funding, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly how much of the decline is influenced by the vouchers (Fischer). It is believed HUD-VASH vouchers had a significant part in the decline (Fischer). This belief is very plausible due to the fact veteran homelessness decreased after the funding was provided. Several thousand poverty-stricken veterans are benefiting from housing through rental assistance programs known as "housing first" (Fischer). The assistance provides housing for the veterans while they can focus on their health care or food needs. However, there are more veterans in need of this assistance program. After funding cuts in 2013, it was estimated 49,900 veterans were homeless on one given night in 2014; some of them living in uninhabitable places and others in emergency shelters (Fischer). Congress should reverse the funding cuts or create additional programs to provide housing for homeless