Many veterans find discussing their war experiences difficult. Perhaps writing about them instead could provide some relief. That's the hope of cowboy poet Vess Quinlan, who took advantage of last month's 32nd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada to address a workshop of combat veterans and their families about sharing their stories.
Quinlan is not a veteran himself, The Associated Press reported, but poems received from Vietnam veterans – men who thought Quinlan could identify with their struggle based on his writings about fighting with polio – persuaded him to reach out to veterans in their life after service.
Getting veterans to trust him and begin an honest conversation is the workshop's biggest challenge, Quinlan told the AP.
"It takes an hour before people start understanding what we're doing and that we're not there to get anything from them," he said.
Bill Jones, a fellow cowboy poet and a Vietnam veteran who assists Quinlan with the workshops, said that the national attitude was not open to discussing the war after he returned home. In an atmosphere like that, it's no wonder veterans have difficulty talking about their experiences.
"When I came back it was best not to say anything," Jones told the AP. "It was best not to say you had been to Vietnam."
Attending one of Quinlan's workshops changed that for him.
"I wrote about a lot of my experiences over there," Jones said. "Combat is a very life-changing event. After you've been in combat you look at life a little bit differently."
Quinlan hopes to continue helping veterans find their voices. He told the Elko Daily Free Press that the workshops provided an opportunity to veterans to feel free to write about and explore their memories among fellow brothers and sisters who understand their situation better than anyone.
"Their purpose now [is] to tell a story, but it's the same brotherhood," he said.
In addition to the problems directly related to veteran homelessness, many other former servicemembers deal with their own housing issues as well. However, more municipalities are starting to take action to prevent these problems, including Baltimore County, Maryland.
Indeed, the Baltimore County Council unanimously passed a bill last week which will make it easier for veterans to get the housing options they may desperately need, according to a report from Baltimore television station WBAL. Specifically, the law prevents landlords from discriminating against would-be tenants for being veterans, and in fact allows other landlords to list properties as being for veterans only.
"As vets return home, they face enormous challenges in their transition to civilian life," Councilman Todd Crandell said, according to the station. "Veteran's Affairs benefits are stretched thin, so the challenges to assist our heroes fall on the shoulders of nonprofit groups who help with issues such as adjustment to the civilian workforce, combat-related disabilities. Housing is largely unaddressed by these veterans organizations or the VA itself."
The hope is that these types of efforts go a long way toward getting more veterans into stable housing situations that are going to benefit them in the long term, and help end the problem of veteran homelessness once and for all.
Lawmakers at the local, state, and federal level are now trying to do more to end the scourge of veteran homelessness, and these efforts are largely being very well received. Indeed, one such piece of legislation recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
The new law would change the way the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tabulates how much disabled veterans, or those with low income, actually make, according to the Nevada edition of RealEstateRama. Currently, any government assistance they receive is counted as part of their income, which makes it more difficult to receive aid through HUD.
"It's been nine months since the House last passed this bill and HUD's flawed aid and attendance policy still threatens our most vulnerable veterans with homelessness," said U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, a Republican representing Nevada. "The last thing our veterans should have to worry about is whether they will have a roof over their head."
More is being done to combat this problem all the time, and that's likely to be a major boon for tens of thousands of veterans across the country who are either currently homeless or dangerously close to it.
On Jan. 30, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C. saw hundreds of homeless and at-risk veterans arrive for the 22nd Annual Winterhaven Homeless Veterans Stand Down.
About 400 veterans pre-registered for the event, while a total of around 700 attended to receive medical treatment, employment help and other services, Gloria Hairston, the medical center's director of public affairs and community relations, told Pentagram, a military news organization in the D.C. metro area.
Counseling, medical screening, housing assistance and a number of other services were on offer from more than 70 local, state and federal agencies and organizations. There were also hundreds of new coats, boots, hygiene kits and other items provided, the source reported in another article.
Among the volunteers there to receive incoming veterans were eight active-duty Marines. Marine Cpl. Fernando Maldonado told Pentagram he was there to contribute whatever he could to those in need.
"I always believe in giving back to the community as much as I can," he said. "Today we're essentially here to meet-and-greet, talking to veterans, seeing how they're doing. We're helping them navigate everything that's going on today. It's a huge event, so we're just bringing cheer along the way, helping any way we can."
Maldonado admitted that the event held personal significance to him.
"It means a lot because they're the ones that came before us," he told Pentagram. "We'll take care of them just like the way they took care of us beforehand…so that sometime in the future maybe some people along the line will pay it forward for us as well. They're struggling, so why not try and give as much as we can, whether it's a smile, a meal, clothing. Whatever it is, we'll try to give it back to the best of our ability."
If the national effort to render veteran homelessness extinct is going to continue to see success, homeless veterans need a place to call their own in the long term. A nonprofit group has its sights set on a vacant nursing home in Wilmington, Delaware for just that purpose.
According to The Wilmington News Journal, the Delaware Center for Homeless Veterans has already set plans in motion to purchase the former Layton Home, a 48,000-square-foot facility that will be the first in Delaware to provide permanent, subsidized housing exclusively to veterans.
"We think it is going to be something great for Wilmington," David Mosley, founder of the center and a veteran himself, told The Journal. "We are not worried about filling it. We already have a waiting list of veterans that are precariously housed."
Delmarva Public Radio reported that when the center began in November 2011, it had only nine beds in a small building in the city. Today, it has a five-year contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer 10 homeless veterans emergency transition housing for up to 90 days. An additional eight veterans are supported through other means, The Journal noted.
DCHV's scale will obviously expand with the purchase of the new building. Once it's been renovated, the facility will feature 51 apartments, 10 offices spaces available to community organizations and a number of conference rooms. Mosley told The Journal that he would likely name the home the Pearl, after his mother.
Veterans living in the facility will have constant access to the VA for veterans benefits and case management.
"When you are going through boot camp and being in the military, you develop a camaraderie," said Mosley. "That is lost when you leave, but when you come to a housing facility like ours with other veterans, you develop that camaraderie again…We believe that is the missing piece for veterans that have gone through the experience of homelessness staying housed."
There were hundreds of veterans filling the American Legion hall in Jacksonville, North Carolina on Tuesday for the Sixth Annual Veterans Stand Down event. Though statistics would suggest there are less than 10 known homeless veterans in Onslow County, events like these say otherwise.
According to 9 WNCT, a local news station, the Veterans Stand Down provided an opportunity for homeless veterans and non-veterans alike to to find food, clothing and possible employment centrally located in one place.
Joseph Ramsey, a Marine veteran, was one of the homeless in attendance. After being deployed to the Middle East, Ramsey returned to post-traumatic stress disorder and other domestic trouble. He began to use drugs, which further disrupted his life after service. Despite his lifestyle, Ramsey tries to retain a sense of normalcy for his family, and events like this one help. His primary objectives on Tuesday were to find a job and resources to support his family.
"That's why we're here, trying to get some help you know, and I know we're going to get some good help here this year," he said.
With each new year, the number of homeless attending Veterans Stand Down has grown. But so too has the number of organizations there to provide help. WITN reported that 40 agencies set up tables at the most recent event.
"Anybody can come in and get a haircut, if they need to take a bath they can go next door and take a bath. We have shoes. We have hygiene goody bags if they're homeless, actually sleeping outside we have tents, we have sleeping bags," Kelley Hamilton, a disabled veterans outreach specialist, told 9 WNCT.
Some of the agencies in attendance were there to assist veterans with other types of issues, like mental illness, PTSD and addiction.
With the veteran homelessness problem now getting a lot more attention nationwide, a lot of individual cities are now starting to do more to deal with the problem whenever they can. To that end, one group in Western Massachusetts has come up with an impressive plan to help alleviate the problem.
The veterans assistance group Soldier On recently began renovations on the long-unused Chapin School in Chicopee property it purchased in 2012, according to a report from the Springfield Republican. Through a number of funding sources including grants, loans, and tax credits, the group was able to start the $10.5 million work last year, and they are now expected to come to an end in June, at which point veterans can begin moving into its 43 one-bedroom apartments.
"We are in the process of identifying veterans who are eligible for the units," Joanne Beauregard, controller for Daniel O'Connell and Sons, a construction firm that partnered with Soldier On, told the newspaper. "Everyone who qualifies was once homeless and is in temporary housing."
Veterans who are struggling in this way, or know people who are, will likely have at least one organization in their area that aims to help get former servicemembers off the streets.
Veterans are discharged from the armed services with some of best training imaginable, but when it comes to securing high-level civilian employment, sometimes just a bit more schooling can make a world of difference.
Korn Ferry and Harris Corp., two tech and manpower giants, are joining to offer a free Leveraging Military Leadership Program for both active duty servicemembers and veterans who have recently transitioned into their life after service, the Military Times reported.
This is the same leadership training given to the CEOs and senior executives of Korn Ferry. Veterans participating in the program will be led through three months of coaching, instruction, lectures, assessments and group exercises. Sounds a bit like basic training.
Now entering its fourth year, the program has assisted more than 250 servicemembers of all military branches. Retired Army Col. Robert Fagan called it a monumental experience.
"Most military transition courses start with the action plan in mind, such as resumes, networking and LinkedIn profiles," said Fagan in a news release. "This program takes you through the journey to self-exploration and self-awareness that allows you to develop a vision and a strategy, thereby making your transition more purposeful, meaningful and focused."
Leadership programs like that on offer from Korn Ferry and Harris Corp. are part of a country-wide effort to recruit veterans for civilian jobs. The Columbus Dispatch reported that overall unemployment for veterans over 18 years old is at 4.3 percent, well below the national average.
Companies like Prudential, which has had a veterans hiring office since 2010, have played a big part in providing employment opportunities to veterans and their families.
"Veterans bring significant value to the workforce, including practiced leadership skills, discipline, the ability to perform in stressful situations and a solid work ethic," said Chuck Sevola, a former Army officer and current head of Prudential's Office of Veterans Initiatives.
"We recognize the sacrifices made every day by these men and women," said Sevola, "and believe their experience and leadership can only make our company stronger."
The housing rental market has been shown over the years to have a lot of discriminatory practices in it, most often against minorities or people with lower incomes. However, another group that has been unfairly targeted more recently is veterans, and now Chicago is moving to do something about it.
The Chicago City Council's Committee on Human Relations recently signed off on a mayoral ordinance that protects current and former military servicemembers against discriminatory practices from both landlords and employers, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times. As such, they are now the 17th "protected" group under city law.
"Some veterans have been denied jobs by employers who are afraid that the applicant may have post-traumatic stress disorder and fear that they might react violently in the workplace," Mona Noriega, chairwoman and commissioner of Chicago's Commission on Human Relations, told the newspaper.
Veterans who have run into difficulty finding housing for these or other reasons might want to talk to local officials to determine whether these problems have come about fairly, and perhaps also seek the help of private nonprofit organizations. That kind of assistance may prove to be a boon to those who need reasonable housing options as soon as possible.
An understanding of military culture is essential for health care systems and providers to effectively care for veterans and their families, a new University at Buffalo study found.
According to the UB Reporter, the university's official newspaper, the study – first published in the journal Military Behavioral Health – suggested that both health and mental health care providers should be given training that would provide them with a basic understanding of military values and belief systems. Just as important, this training would shed light on how veterans personally transition into their life after service.
The University at Buffalo's study is one of the very first to discuss how health care professionals must address the unique challenges facing military families, from deployment difficulties to those obstacles faced after a discharge, when veterans must look for civilian employment.
"The military is a unique institution, with its own structure, terminology, and culture, and military service is often a profound experience that changes the servicemember's identity, and his/her assumptions and expectations about the world," Lisa Butler, an associate professor in the university's School of Social Work and an author of the paper, told HealthCareBusiness News.
"All these factors can present challenges to providers and systems of care if they don't ask about a military service history and don't know how to incorporate that information into the care they provide," Butler continued.
Four different focus groups – two male veterans groups, one female group and one group of military family members – were asked by researchers to explain their health care experiences in depth, with particular emphasis given to those areas perceived to be lacking.
"Just as you want to be culturally competent working with any population, with veterans it is particularly important because they may shut you out if they suspect a lack of understanding. They'll walk away," Butler told the UB Reporter. "Providers who bring military/veteran cultural competence to their interactions with veterans have the potential to enhance outcomes and increase quality of care."