Today was a pretty busy day with so many great events that talked about our Veterans and the unbelievable service they provide along with those great Americans like our police and fire fighters. But one sad fact was reported by the Wichita Eagle and tonight by Kieth Olbermann – our veterans are a politicians lip service, paid only during election seasons.
“The number of homeless veterans in Kansas has grown in recent years, according to a new report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
New estimates show that there were 712 homeless vets in Kansas in 2008.
That’s up from 689 in 2007 and 601 in 2006.
Nationwide, new estimates show 131,000 veterans were homeless in 2008. Veterans are about twice as likely to be homeless as the general population.”
The piece goes on to say that there is an additional concern that with the economic shortfalls of 2008 and the recovery only barely detectable, more might become homeless with the loss of jobs, pensions, 401K’s, or all around bad luck.
While the piece references ages for these soldiers being primarily between 35-54, the new wars in Iraq and Afghanistan means a new group of veterans arriving home, facing health care woes, job instability, family uncertainties, and the usual concerns with soldiers re-integrating into non-military employment. As we expand the funding that is designed to help existing homeless veterans, I think we should also look at what our young veterans require to help keep them from slipping into the same difficult times. Let’s stop homelessness before it begins.
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