Helping Homeless Veterans

Last night Gretchen @codeofvets expressed her frustration that so many veterans are homeless.  It's a vexing problem.  The conditions that create this problem aren't going away anytime soon.

No one really represents the homeless.  This humanity crisis is faceless.  It's not an attractive cause.  Who will go to Washington and lobby for the programs that will help these people?  That's what it will take.

Drug addiction and mental health programs must be tailored for the homeless.  D.C. Politicians will be loathe to spend on programs that don't target a voting block.  Transitional housing and access to jobs with be needed.  None of this will be fully funded without a strong presence in D.C. to put pressure on lawmakers.

Next media coverage is needed to advance the issue.  Putting faces and stories to the homeless crisis will help put pressure on politicians.  The media tend to focus on the problems caused by the homeless and not the people that are homeless.  People have been led to believe the homeless are somehow not capable of being rehabilitated.  That's, as we used to say, a cop out.

I know from my own experience what has happened to most of these people.  At some point, they were dispossessed.  They lacked the means to get back to a stable existence.  It's usually the loners like myself that fall through the cracks.

Preventing homelessness should be the top priority.  Once someone has become homeless bringing them back is much harder than prevention.  Identifying those most likely to become homeless is paramount.

There's no easy answers for homelessness.  It's not an attractive cause but public perception must change for this problem to be properly addressed.  It will be an ongoing effort.

Before I finish please let me mention my own story.  I'm out of work due to health concerns. I still have my job but can't work. I started a GoFundme when this began but the fundraising has gone slowly.  My fault, it's not exactly my strong suite.  Feel free to check it out. If you're uncertain about the GoFundme platform you may contribute directly through my PayPal
My suggestion would be to levy a tax to provide a permanent revenue for homeless programs.  It would require the funds to be dedicated and not become a part of the general budget.

This problem cannot and should not be ignored. We must advocate for these people and help them regain their dignity.

William Kirby McCain