Why do veterans become homeless

In November, the nation takes a day off to honor its veterans. In recent years, the homeless services world has held these sentiments all year long: diligently working to secure permanent housing for everyone who has served our country. The reduction from 74, to 37, veterans experiencing homelessness far exceeded the progress realized by chronically homeless individuals and all other subpopulations. They included the Obama Administration ; members of Congress from both sides of the aisle; and a broad, bipartisan group of mayors , governors, and county officials from across the country.

Two ingredients are associated with their success: 1 Housing First and 2 investments in veteran-specific programs. The approach, an internationally recognized best practice, has proven effective for veterans —reducing housing placement waiting times from to 35 days, improving retention in permanent housing, and reducing emergency room trips. It offers rapid re-housing which stabilizes over 70 percent of participants in permanent housing and prevention services.

As a result, they are able to successfully house thousands of veterans. Historically, national policy failures have meant that veterans are more likely to experience homelessness. In , 21 out of every 10, veterans were homeless. This number is only slightly higher than the overall homeless rate of 17 out of every 10, Americans.

When service members return from home injured, it is often their families who provide care. But if these veterans do not have families to turn to and are sent away from military hospitals, finding housing and a job can seem impossible. These physical injuries can include second- and third-degree burns, shrapnel wounds, brain and spinal cord injuries, respiratory problems, cardiac and neurological diseases, and so much more. If left untreated, and even if treated, these injuries can heavily affect whether veterans get a job, keep a job, and find a home.

Almost hand-in-hand with physical injuries are mental illnesses. Back x. About Homelessness. Doing Research. Community Profiles. Manitoba Brandon Thompson Winnipeg. Newfoundland and Labrador St. Northwest Territories Yellowknife. Nunavut Iqaluit. Prince Edward Island Charlottetown Summerside. Saskatchewan Prince Albert Regina Saskatoon.

Yukon Territory Whitehorse. Veterans Experiencing Homelessness This resource provides information and current statistics about veterans experiencing homelessness. Department of Housing and Urban Development i : An estimated 75, veterans male and female were homeless on a single night in January Results of the survey were published in These experiences may make homeless Veterans more likely to avoid mental health and substance use treatment, according to the research team.

They conclude that homeless Veterans may need more specific services aimed at encouraging them to continue with primary care services. Homeless Veterans and mobile phones— Many people living on the streets prioritize having a mobile phone, to give them an identity and a way of communicating with the world.

In a study completed in by VA's Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research in Bedford, Massachusetts, researchers interviewed Veterans in a variety of homeless programs in Massachusetts. The team found that 89 percent of those surveyed owned a mobile phone, and 76 percent used the internet.

Of those who owned a mobile phone, 71 percent said they used text messaging. Of those with phones, 93 percent were interested in receiving either text messages or phone calls about upcoming medical appointments, and 88 percent wanted to be asked by phone if they would like to schedule an appointment if they had not been seen by a health care provider in over a year. The findings suggest new avenues to communicate with and intervene on behalf of homeless Veterans.

Americans have become more compassionate toward the homeless— A team led by a researcher from the New England Mental Illness Research Education Clinical Center of Excellence MIRECC surveyed the attitudes of adults in November about homelessness and compared the results to surveys conducted in The new survey showed people have more compassion and liberal attitudes about homelessness than they did 25 years before.

The largest changes were related to increased support for homeless individuals using public spaces for sleeping and panhandling. The increased public support for homeless individuals shown in the study presents new opportunities for addressing homelessness through legislation and public health initiatives, according to the research team. Re-Engage program— Homelessness disproportionately affects Veterans with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Many Veterans with serious mental illness are at risk of homelessness because of substance use, unstable employment, and incarceration.

Moreover, Veterans with serious mental illness who drop out of VA care are more likely to die than those engaged in VA care. In a landmark quality improvement study, the VA Office of the Medical Inspector and Mental Health Services implemented the Re-Engage program in to facilitate access to services among Veterans with serious mental illness who had dropped out of VA care. The program led to the majority of Veterans with serious mental illness returning to care and was associated with a subsequent fold decreased risk of mortality compared to Veterans who were not brought back to care.

A study by VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System researchers found that an enhanced implementation strategy led to better results for the Re-Engage program. Mental health providers at VA facilities were given manuals and training in Re-Engage. The training involved identifying Veterans who had not been seen in VA care for at least one year, documenting clinical status, and reaching out to coordinate health care. After six months, facilities that had not effectively implemented Re-Engage were given additional help.

This help included coaching of staff and weekly calls to address barriers to care. Facilities that received the enhanced coordination had better rates of re-engagement of Veterans compared with those using standard implementation.

Homeless Veterans are at least three times more likely than the rest of the U. Because traditional HIV testing involves several appointments at health care facilities, including taking the test, receiving the results, and receiving counseling and links to care if the results are positive, this kind of testing is neither practical nor feasible for a highly transient population of homeless individuals.

Instead, the research team, along with counselors from two municipal offices, repeatedly visited three Los Angeles shelters to provide AIDS testing, results, and follow-up if necessary to Veterans and other residents. The team tested shelter residents, 37 of whom were Veterans. None of the Veterans had HIV; seven of the other residents' tests came back positive, and five of them were linked to care. The dental needs of homeless Veterans are well-documented.

In surveys listing and ranking the 10 highest unmet needs for homeless Veterans, dental care is consistently ranked by homeless Veterans as one of their top three unmet needs, along with long-term permanent housing and child care. Dental problems such as pain and missing teeth can be tremendous barriers to looking for and finding work. Dental care improves several outcomes— A December study looked at the impact of dental care on homeless Veterans who had been discharged from a VA transitional housing intervention program.

The study cohort included 9, Veterans, of whom 4, received dental care during the program. Veterans who received dental care were 30 percent more likely to complete the intervention program; 14 percent more likely to be employed or financially stable; and 15 percent more likely to have found residential housing.

Differences in experiences with care between homeless and non-homeless patients in Veterans Affairs facilities with tailored and nontailored primary care teams. VA facilities with H-PACT programs appear to offer a better primary care experience for homeless versus nonhomeless Veterans, reversing the pattern of relatively poor primary care experiences often associated with homelessness.

Med Care. Posttraumatic stress disorder and interpersonal process in homeless Veterans participating in a peer monitoring intervention: associations with program benefit. Disruption to the capacity to develop and maintain social bonds in PTSD may interfere with the capacity to benefit from peer mentorship.

Psychol Serv. Changes in public attitudes and perceptions about homelessness between and There has been an increase in compassion and liberal attitudes toward homelessness in the past two decades. Am J Community Psychol. Medical-legal partnerships at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers improved housing and psychosocial outcomes for Vets.

Medical-legal partnerships represent an opportunity to expand cross-sector, community-based partnership in the VA health care system to address social determinants of mental health. Health Aff Millwood. Which homeless Veterans benefit from a peer mentor and how? The majority of Veteran participants in this study benefited from receiving peer mentor intervention.

J Clin Psychol. Homeless Veterans' use of peer mentors and effects on costs and utilization in VA clinics. Significant impacts of peer mentors on health care patterns were not detected, but some patients had frequent contact with peer mentors.

Psychiatr Serv. One-year incidence and predictors of homeless among , U. Veterans seen in specialty mental care. A notable and important percentage of Veterans seen in VA specialty mental health clinics newly experience homelessness annually. A national evaluation of homeless and nonhomeless Veterans' experiences with primary care.