In Need of Some Help

“In Need of Some Help"

Mackayla Harris

What is a big problem that too many veterans face today? Too many of our veterans are homeless. “About 13 percent of the adult homeless population are veterans,” according to the “National Coalition for Homeless Veterans”. There should not be any homeless veterans. Most people today do not give any money to the homeless when they see them. People think they are sacrificing a few dollars to support someone’s alcohol or drug addiction. What if one of the homeless you had ignored was a veteran and you did not know it? That man or woman fought for our freedom, and they are now living in poverty. And you walked away without even caring. It is sad to know that so many people who fought for us are homeless. They fought so we could have the homes and lifestyles that we have today. We should not just sit back and watch those veterans do without. We need to do everything we can to help them.   

Why are these veterans homeless? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that “62,619 veterans are homeless on any given night.” Disability is a big factor in homeless veterans. Many that are disabled cannot go back to work to make money after they return from war. Without work some can not afford housing. In most cities a homeless veteran can not survive solely off of a disability check every month. It just is not enough money for food and housing. According to “Veteran Disability Compensation” the amount of basic benefit ranges “from $127 to over $3,100 per month, depending on your level of disability and number of dependents.” I know you are thinking that $3,100 should be plenty; however, a veteran does not receive that amount unless their extremely disabled and have children. They measure the disability by percentages from 10% to 100%. Unless they are missing limbs or severely disabled it is hard for them even to be considered over 50%.They also have to be able to connect their disability to an event that happened in the military with proof that it happened otherwise they do not receive any compensation. So those men and women who are not considered extremely disabled, and those who cannot connect their disability with evidence do not receive much at all.They cannot afford to pay for somewhere to live so they end up living on the streets. In some cases the military training they received is not transferable to the civilian workforce, and that leaves them at a disadvantage when trying to find a good job. According to “Soldiers Say it’s Hard to Return to Civilian Life” Spc. Nick Colgin was an Army medic who could not get a job in the civilian workforce because of the lack of certification papers. Colgin says that most people just get the very basic certifications, and they do not qualify you to receive other jobs in the civilian workforce. If the veteran is not getting a decent amount in disability, or they cannot get hired at a job because of lack of certification this can easily lead to them becoming homeless.

The Department of Veteran Affairs is trying to help the homeless veterans. The VA has programs that “provide individualized, comprehensive care to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.” Their goal is to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. I truly hope they are able to accomplish their goal. The VA offers help in healthcare, financial assistance, Veteran’s compensation, rehabilitation and employment assistance, burial and memorial benefits, and many other services. The VA has helped a lot of veterans already, and they plan to help the rest.   

 

Now, I know you are asking what you can do to help. There are plenty of ways us college students can help even though we do not think we have much influence in anything. There are hundreds of organizations we can get involved in that help veterans. You can locate some of these on the “National Coalition for Homeless Veterans” webpage. We also can help get more people involved in helping. We can let people know just how easy it can be to help. We can also contact our elected officials to see what is being done for the homeless in our communities. We can contact our local Alabama State Representative K.L. Brown from Jacksonville by emailing him at klbrown@cableone.net, or by stopping by his office at 322 Nisbet Street N.W. Jacksonville, AL 36265. We could also contact our United States House of Representative Mike Rogers from Anniston. We can contact him by phone at (202) 225-3261, and his office is in Washington, D.C.They can help get things done even if we cannot. If we make more people care more people will help. Even if you can not help them all now, you can still help one, and that makes a huge difference. And next time you see someone homeless, remember it may be someone who served our country and fought for our freedom.