Homeless Veterans Research Paper

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Homeless Veterans: A Social Problem Homelessness is a social problem which can be characterized by sociostructural causes such as inequities in society or a lack of resources, as well as individual issues such as mental illness and substance abuse (Greengaulgh & Minnery, 2007). Historically there has been a debate on whether homelessness is an individual issue or a societal issue. How society approaches homelessness depends on the political tone and public awareness. Homelessness is a social problem that not only affects the United States but is a worldwide issue. Homelessness can be short term, situational or chronic. Homelessness is found throughout the United States but most often it is prevalent in urban communities. Several government…show more content…
(Somerman, 1993). Researchers have uncovered that during the holiday season sympathy for the homeless increases (Forte, 2002,) however negative attitudes towards the homeless have been expressed in legislation through vagrancy laws, through the media and personal attitudes (Leginski, 2010). The values and self-interest of people vary greatly in the US, but most can agree that homeless is an issue which needs to be addressed. How it is addressed depends on what camp you hail from. Homeless veterans tend to suffer from mental illness and substance addiction and look like the stereotypical homeless individual: dirty, unkempt, and begging for change. Homeless veteran campaigns such as, the Long March Home, Never Another Homeless Veteran, and 100,000 Homes are increasing awareness of the homeless veteran population in order to build and leverage public…show more content…
58,063 were veterans, 34,909 were sheltered and 23,154 were unsheltered (p.1). According to the November 2011 data report from National Survey of Homeless Veterans in 100,000 Homes Campaign Communities, among the 62% of homeless veterans who reported two or more years of homelessness, over 61% reported a serious physical health condition, 55% reported a mental health condition, 76% reported a substance abuse habit, and 32% reported all three. (p.3) The VA has developed the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) to address the needs of homeless veterans. HOMES is an online VA data collection system that offers a wide-ranging system and registry that offers a resource for service providers, policymakers, administrators, and researchers. The national registry provides the VA data to help support the VA’s plan, which is to end veteran homelessness by 2015. Homeless

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