VA Announces Plan to End Vet Homelessness by 2015
The friends, family and neighbors of American war Veterans see the plight of so many soldiers but so often do not have the opportunity or resources to affect positive change. The Veterans Administration is offering a quick, cost effective way to help Veterans as part of a national initiative aimed at eliminating Veteran homelessness by 2015.
A staggering 1.5 million Veterans are homeless at some point each year in the United States, and twice as many have a residence, but are food insecure. A fundamental part of the VA initiative includes the Make A Call program. This program directs Veterans to various support options.
The VA plans to allocate $3.4 billion to homeless Veterans health care and $800 million to specialized homeless programs including access to quality food sources. Currently, 75,000 Veterans sleep on the street on an average night and 135,000 have stayed in a shelter at least once. This campaign is designed to encourage friends and family members of homeless Veterans to call the VA hotline, 877-4AID-VET (or 877-424-3838) for help. The VA is committed to supporting homeless and at risk individuals. They hope to inform the entire community about the resources Veterans are entitled to as well as how to get access to them.
Thus far, governmental programs serving financially struggling Veterans have primarily focused on temporary housing. However, this new plan facilitates the prevention of homelessness and the introduction of permanent housing resources as well as employment opportunities.
Just getting our nations heroes off the street is not enough. Temporary housing is a band-aid solution to a much larger problem. By taking actions aimed at eliminating homelessness and offering those that are currently homeless the security of permanent housing, the VA can stifle so many of the fundamental maladies caused by homelessness, such as hunger. The Make A Call program seeks to help educate the community about the options available to Veterans across the country. It transcends state borders and aims to make a national impact on getting American Veterans the help they so desperately need, and deserve.
"Those who have served this nation as veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope," VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said. "Working with our partners in state and local government, the nonprofit and the private sectors, we can restore our homeless veterans and their families to the lives of dignity they've earned."
Source: United States Department of Veterans Affairs and The Huffington Post