'The Jericho Project' Helps Homeless Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Get Their Bearings

Over 9,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are homeless, reports ABC.

The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to eliminate that statistic within the next five years.

An increasing number of new veterans are finding themselves homeless, unable to adjust to civilian life. Reasons range from financial hardships to emotional distress due to the shock of war.

Vice Chief of the Army General Peter Chiarelli told ABC that rapid repeated deployments play a detrimental part in soldiers' mental health.

"We need more time at home before deployment. It affects everything. It affects the divorce rate. It affects substance abuse."

WATCH:

They also report that there are currently more than 107,000 homeless vets total nationwide.

In November 2009, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki presented a comprehensive plan to end veteran homelessness. This year, the plan was finalized and released as Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs website, the policies within that plan will help end veteran homelessness by 2015.

Until then, nonprofit organizations around the country are stepping up to help out.

The Jericho Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding the homeless, started a program to specifically address this growing problem. The Veterans Initiative project is dedicated to providing shelter and assistance to vets.

Jose Pagan, a formerly homeless Iraq veteran, spoke to ABC about his new home. The Jericho Project helped him find safe lodging and a support group.

"I have an apartment, and it was the first time, especially as a grown man that I've gotten a gift like this. It was an amazing feeling. I have a place. This is what I call, it's my little home."

To support or learn more about the Jericho Project, follow the links below.

Comments

[Dadzilla]

03:24 PM on 01/20/2011

You would have thought we had learned better since Vietnam, guess not so much...

[Halsey]

12:56 PM on 01/01/2011

A human and national disgrace. I cut this from the piece: "..Vice Chief of the Army General Peter Chiarelli told ABC that rapid repeated deployments play a detrimental part in soldiers' mental health..." YA THINK? So Peter states a fact yet works for the MIC that will continue this process. My gawd, no wonder so many returning soldiers commit suicide or fall deep into drug abuse. They are young chattel. And the VA wants to make everything all warm and fuzzy by 2014? Are they that stupid to think the red tape, MONEY, politics will suddenly change so we can help those returning damaged? Give me a break. The will simply continue to load these poor people with anti-depressants, sleep aids and find more ways to deny benefits by looking at pre deployment health records. See, good enough to send over there, but once they return, if they EVER saw a psychologist before enlisting "voila" pre-existing condition.

I hate this war.

[Joseph Bethea]

06:50 PM on 01/03/2011

Hate both the war and the politicians in charge

[jo smith456]

09:49 AM on 01/01/2011

Good for those veterans. God bless them.

WHAT ABOUT, not just the "Homelessness" but the "Familylessness" of the more numerous civilians whose families have been broken, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers 'terminated' by the occup iers? Should God bless such civilians, too?

[whoknew42]

02:08 AM on 01/01/2011

This is how we show our appreciation for the vets that fought for our country

Thanx for all your service, guys

[charlie8888]

11:25 PM on 01/02/2011

This was the most powerful army in history fighting against third world countries.
These guys volunteered to participate in that.
Of course Bush and his administration are vastly more to blame but the soldiers are not blameless.

[DaMojo]

06:04 PM on 01/03/2011

The problem is...they're not fighting for our country or our freedom in the current wars. They are doing the bidding of the MIC and our government endorses and allows it because the MIC owns our government. The veterans in question are not WWII veterans who were actually the last veterans to fight for a worthy cause. Every war since then from Korea to Iraq has been to make rich people richer.

[whoknew42]

04:39 PM on 01/04/2011

I completely agree with you, DaMojo

[USCOASTGUARDVET]

05:01 PM on 12/31/2010

This is disgusting, again the Govt. turns it's back on its Vets. I worked with homeless vets in California and most are suffering from PTSD or some alcohol or drug problem, caused by combat and the things they did and saw over there. I still see Vietnam vets still messed up and homeless and in trouble. I hope this project works, it is in the right spirit, again too little- too late. Many of these homeless vets have no information on these programs, access to computers or any help from the military, or the VA. God Bless these Soldiers and I hope they can find some help!!!!!!!

[charlie8888]

11:26 PM on 01/02/2011

Many vietnam vets did not have a choice., These guys volunteered.

[Steve Rockett]

01:48 PM on 12/31/2010

Let's have an adopt a Veteran program for Congress. If the Congressional representative voted for the war, then they take a fair share of Veterans into their home, feed them, care for them, help them find work. Most members of Congress are rich anyway, so they can put their money where their vote is. For the right wing anti-abortion crowd, maybe they can hire the Vets to take care of all the little children they adopted.

[medic628]

02:57 AM on 12/31/2010

I would like to thank the military industrial complex, oil companies, blue dog dems, and the GOP creating this problem. Keep sending those jobs out of the country!

[Cuds]

11:28 PM on 12/30/2010

My fellow veterans need to realize that food, shelter and medical care are not going to be handed out for free by the government when they leave the service. People need to stop assuming that every time a veteran has a problem that it's service connected and needs to be addressed with our tax dollars.

[rowdybrowngirl]

02:17 PM on 12/31/2010

If you fight wars for this country then you should be taken care of for the rest of your life. period. After fighting in a war EVERYTHING in your life is from that point on connected to it. YOU are a major d1c_k!

[Cuds]

02:52 PM on 12/31/2010

So you're saying you want to pay my bills!!! You're awesomely naive to be so kind. Thank you. :-)

[Kringle]

06:22 PM on 12/30/2010

Is "homeless" here being used to refer to vets who rent instead of owning a home?

Are the politicians so blatantly turning their backs on our troops?

[beyondliberal]

03:39 PM on 01/01/2011

Yup. They rent bus benches and space below bridges.

[Almondo]

10:22 PM on 01/01/2011

To the MIC troops are just another disposable, replaceable asset.
They are much like the plastic pieces in the game of Risk.

This utterly deplorable situation is on a steep downhill slope.

WE KNOW that these men & women have been put through utter _hell having endured involuntary extensions, back to back to back to back deployments, all of the treachery of war, prolonged separation from family, exposure to chemical & biological stuff with unknown consequences, loss of everything that can possibly be lost and still live, massive drug use issues, and on and on.

Yet despite our bipartisan political bickering does not want to provide separated service members with basic well-being care because they need a new pork barrel road to nowhere.

I don't, won't and haven't ever agreed with these or other 'wars' but the respect I have for those individuals who have served with honor and in far too many cases given their lives, limbs, mobility, families and future for me and our nation is far greater than I can ever put into words.

They deserve better but it just gets worse.

[stubb207]

05:22 PM on 12/30/2010

I used to work for an ex-Air Force person who claimed disability, but rides a motor cycle. In other words, he was fine. So one solution to veteran unemployment, is root out fraudulant veterans, and give their jobs to those veterans who really deserve it.

[Bud Puskarich]

09:13 AM on 12/31/2010

Being disabled doesn't mean your a vegetable. Get real!

[Steve Rockett]

01:51 PM on 12/31/2010

What was the nature of the disability? How do you presume to know what the claim was for? Maybe the guy had a hidden disabilty and was too ashamed to tell people what it was? Certainly, if I knew you were so judgmental, I would not tell you.

[pakaal]

02:04 PM on 12/31/2010

Your reply to me on another comments section was scrubbed (for whatever reason), but it was a good one anyway. Fanned back.

[StopMakingSense2]

05:22 PM on 12/30/2010

Since a high percentage of the military is made up of the under class with few opportunities why would this be a surprise? They end up back where they started. It's the least we can do to honor them.. Sarcasm.. This what you get when the ruling class has no progeny skin in the game. You know the ones who declare the wars but don't fight them. If they did do you think these wars would still be dragging on and the vets being treated so miserably? The voluntary military is a smoke screen for the follies of the ruling class. And now it's being turned into money making schemes with the "independent contractors". If a war is worth fighting institute the draft and make sure the pain and sacrifice is spread fairly amongst all of us. Then this won't be back page news and the war mongers will think twice.

[Kasado]

05:16 PM on 12/30/2010

Sorry Sargeant Bob, but that job you had before going to fight in a war to support the expansion and profits of the Military Industrial Complex has now been taken by a 12 year old Chinese girl so that a few billionaires can make a few more millions in profit. More money, more money. more money, but little or none for you.

[jimstaro]

05:15 PM on 12/30/2010

And did anyone hear the so called outraged 'teabaggers' Demand 'Sacrifice' after a decade of defending these wars of choice and those who ordered them, me neither!!

DeJa-Vu All Over Again. 'Nam '70-'71 last of my four and forty years fighting their mentality!

[kdcy]

03:36 PM on 12/31/2010

Why are you complaining about the Tea Party? Obama is the one keeping us in Afghanistan. Why don't you voice your complains to him?

[TricksR4Kids]

05:15 PM on 12/30/2010

Did they actually think the US Govt cared? I mean the war in Iraq was a lie and the US Govt didn't seem to have a problem there.

[Dan Stewart]

05:05 PM on 12/30/2010

I great that they help out these people -- but, I can't help but think about the destroyed Iraq society these men left in their wake and all the maimed and displaced and homeless people there who are suffering so much, truly thru no fault of their own.