Can you imagine giving all you have honorably to your country, coming back and not knowing who you are or what to do and then finding yourself on the street with no food or roof over your head? To me this is not only a scary thought but unbelievable that this is happening and on a large scale. Statistics show that on any given night there are 50,000 homeless veterans. While this is happening we are all home tucked away in our beds sleeping sound and safe due to their selfless sacrifice. There are many diverse reasons why this issue is happening, below is a short list of common reasons:
- Lack of money
- Lack of job
- Feeling lost
- Lack of support
President Obama had publicly created a goal (Opening Doors Program) of ending Veterans homelessness by 2015. According to various studies $16 billion dollars was poured into this issue but very little progress was made. More of the homeless Veterans were moved into government sponsored shelters than those that were able to get back on their feet and move forward with a solid future.
For anyone who has traveled to Washington DC and walked even the most populated areas can see that homelessness is a large issue, various tent cities and individuals living on the street in plain sight, with Veterans being an increasing portion of them. Even though our country has failed them when they returned from serving they still proudly display something in their minimal belongings that make it obvious they are a Veteran. These signs of Veteran homelessness need to spark a larger sense of responsibility to the general population to do what they can to help.
The Veterans Administration espouses the following as their mission in relation to homelessness:
VA is committed to ending homelessness among Veterans. Our focus is threefold:
- Conducting coordinated outreach to proactively seek out Veterans in need of assistance.
- Connecting homeless and at-risk Veterans with housing solutions, health care, community employment services and other required supports.
- Collaborating with federal, state and local agencies; employers; housing providers, faith-based and community nonprofits; and others to expand employment and affordable housing options for Veterans exiting homelessness.
The short list of issues I stated above relate to other issues that I have been addressing in my blog posts. The intertwined nature of these issues shows that we know where we need to put our resources to correct these issues but for various reasons the issues still exist on a large scale.
Landmark Life Coaching's Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.
Founder/Coach/Speaker/Writer
Dwayne.paro@landmarklifecoaching.com