Poverty growing among L.A. County veterans, study finds, By Alexandra Zavis, November 9, 2012, Los Angeles Times: “Thousands of veterans in Los Angeles County are falling into poverty and unemployment, according to research commissioned by United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which issued a call to action Friday to better address the needs of returning service members. ‘Our region is woefully unprepared with the support services necessary to ensure a smooth transition into civilian life,’ said the group’s regional president, Elise Buik. Although numerous programs exist to assist local veterans, coordination between them is insufficient, and they aren’t getting consistent or timely data on the population they serve, United Way officials said…”
Tag: Military service
Homelessness Among Veterans
- A push to help U.S. veterans fight homelessness, By Pam Fessler, April 16, 2012, National Public Radio: “Last year, the number of homeless U.S. veterans on a given night dropped 12 percent from the year before. But tens of thousands were still on the streets, and more could be joining them as troops return from Afghanistan and Iraq. President Obama has vowed to end veterans’ homelessness by 2015…”
- More of Asheville’s homeless vets find permanent housing, By Elizabeth Bewley, April 15, 2012, Asheville Citizen-Times: “Sherwood Little, a 56-year-old Navy veteran who used to live on the streets, now rents an apartment in Asheville and receives counseling and medical care – all with the federal government’s help. The Vietnam-era veteran gets monthly vouchers from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help pay his rent. Since moving into an apartment in 2010, he has received treatment for depression and hypertension and has worked with Veterans Affairs Department caseworkers to get signed up for federal disability benefits…”
Homelessness Among Veterans
U.S. mission: End homelessness for veterans by 2015, By Rob Hotakainen, April 4, 2012, Seattle Times: “Darren Spencer, a 39-year-old Army veteran from Tacoma, found himself homeless after losing his $15.45-an-hour job as a furniture mover a year ago. He takes pills for his depression and has trouble hearing. He has no car. And his unemployment benefits ran out in December. But Spencer considers himself lucky on one count: In August, he got a voucher from the federal government to help pay the $725 monthly rent for his apartment in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, where he lives with his 18-year-old son, Lamont. ‘I still have a lot of stress, but that’s one thing I don’t have to stress about,’ Spencer said. ‘It’s still hard, but at least now I have a place to stay.’ Spencer is among the thousands of beneficiaries of a federal effort to end all homelessness among veterans by 2015. It’s a lofty goal as the nation gears up to accommodate an additional 1 million service members set to return home from war in the next five years…”