I hope my comment didn't come off as dismissive of the needs of veterans. My point was that in this particular community (Columbia, MO), there are good reasons this could happen--there's a VA, so people can get health care, including mental health care; there's a company based in Columbia, Veterans United Home Loans, that does a lot of r…
I hope my comment didn't come off as dismissive of the needs of veterans. My point was that in this particular community (Columbia, MO), there are good reasons this could happen--there's a VA, so people can get health care, including mental health care; there's a company based in Columbia, Veterans United Home Loans, that does a lot of really great philanthropy, much of it targeted at veterans; and there were a number of local NGOs already there who jumped in to make it really a high-quality effort. Maybe there are other similar communities, or other communities might be better poised to target a different group.
Doing no research here at all, I suspect that the percentage of homelessness that is veterans depends partly on definitions. If you mean people living rough in encampments, it may be a higher percentage than if you consider people couch-surfing, or staying in motels or cars, or doubling up with relatives and friends, moving around a lot.
Re-reading your first post I think I misread the tone! To the point of definitions, I think you’re right, there are all different kinds of homeless, and it is important to remember that not all homeless present a certain way but could be suffering just as much. I’ve been homeless before, in my twenties, living in my pickup. Trying to figure out where you will relieve yourself in the morning, and where you can take your next shower gets old, FAST. I was never destitute and never suffered. But it’s not hard to see how falling off the merry go round, even for a minute, can be very hard to climb back on when everything is moving except for you.
I hope my comment didn't come off as dismissive of the needs of veterans. My point was that in this particular community (Columbia, MO), there are good reasons this could happen--there's a VA, so people can get health care, including mental health care; there's a company based in Columbia, Veterans United Home Loans, that does a lot of really great philanthropy, much of it targeted at veterans; and there were a number of local NGOs already there who jumped in to make it really a high-quality effort. Maybe there are other similar communities, or other communities might be better poised to target a different group.
Doing no research here at all, I suspect that the percentage of homelessness that is veterans depends partly on definitions. If you mean people living rough in encampments, it may be a higher percentage than if you consider people couch-surfing, or staying in motels or cars, or doubling up with relatives and friends, moving around a lot.
Re-reading your first post I think I misread the tone! To the point of definitions, I think you’re right, there are all different kinds of homeless, and it is important to remember that not all homeless present a certain way but could be suffering just as much. I’ve been homeless before, in my twenties, living in my pickup. Trying to figure out where you will relieve yourself in the morning, and where you can take your next shower gets old, FAST. I was never destitute and never suffered. But it’s not hard to see how falling off the merry go round, even for a minute, can be very hard to climb back on when everything is moving except for you.