Over the past few years, cities, states, and even the federal government have devoted a lot of energy and resources to reducing veteran homelessness. And though those efforts have fallen short of their stated goal of all but eliminating the problem, there are still hundreds of thousands of veterans now in more stable living conditions than they experienced before. Furthermore, experts are getting more creative about how they can help even more.

One recent idea that seems to be gaining traction plays on an existing trend in the housing industry in general, according to the Racine Journal Times. "Tiny houses" have grown quite popular, particularly among younger adults, and as the name suggests provides living conditions in very small increments. The way this may work to help homeless veterans would be to build a number of these structures on a plot of land in a sort of "veterans' village" that centralizes assistance and fosters a sense of community among those who are struggling.

With more groups looking to end veteran homelessness, major progress is being made.

A closer look
An organization called Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin has plans to build such a community in Racine, with a goal of creating more permanent housing for homeless vets, the report said. Some vets may find this situation preferable because they will get their own living quarters, and won't have to share a room with anyone. The proposal calls for 15 tiny houses on the property, but has yet to be approved by local authorities.

"[W]e're not just giving them a place to stay, it's not just one thing that we're doing, we're providing the whole package to give them a hand up," Jeff Gustin, co-founder and director of Veterans Outreach, told the newspaper.

Making a dent
Government data shows that over the past year, the number of homeless veterans living on the streets nationwide is down 17.4 percent, a drop of about 8,000 people, according to the Youngstown Vindicator. In the six years since the federal initiative was launched, the number has fallen 58 percent. Meanwhile, two states and 27 major cities now report they have effectively eliminated veteran homelessness within their borders.

The more creative organizations can get when it comes to finding solutions for this problem, the better off both they and the veterans living there will be. Often, all former service​ members need to get back on the right track in life is a little bit of help initially, and finding ways to provide it is becoming more popular.

Fresh air and physical activity can prove relaxing and invigorating for individuals who face physical and mental difficulties. The great outdoors may, therefore, help veterans coping with the strenuous effects of combat or the shock of returning to civilian life.

There are numerous groups and organizations around the country dedicated to ensuring that when veterans need to get out of cities and towns and experience the calming properties of nature, they will be able to make the trip. These efforts can be key elements in the healing process and steps on the path back to wellness for vets dealing with a variety of challenges.

Grand Canyon outing brings healing
As far as awe-inspiring natural sites go, the Grand Canyon tops them all. As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently reported, Canyon Heroes is a program founded in 2012 to bring vets to the national park to experience the landmark in person. Since its beginnings, it has grown quite popular. Originally, a single veteran made the trip. This year, the party totals 24 and is set to spend seven days experiencing nature and recovering from the mental strain the guests experienced in the military and afterwards.

According to the news source, four therapists will run the event and provide direct aid to the campers. Nine of the 20 vets making the trip this year are women, which organizers said is a new high and a result of the greater number of female service members in all the armed forces. After the trip ends, the therapists will stay in contact with the veterans, studying the effects that spending a full week in the natural surroundings had on the participants' mental health and overall outlook.

A number of organizations fund Canyon Heroes. Donations cover the costs of renting the rafts and the plane tickets that get the veterans from their homes around the country to Las Vegas, where the trip begins. The founder of Canyon Heroes, Margery Hermann, told the Tribune-Review that she has seen improvement in 85-90 percent of participants since the organization began its mission four years ago.

Teamwork through mountain climbing
The Cascades also play host to healing nature outings for vets, with the rugged terrain leading to tough climbs that test individuals' mettle. The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University's newspaper, recently focused on one of the school's graduates, Nathan Perrault, who took veterans on a mountain-climbing expedition to Mount Rainier. Perrault, himself a Marine Corps veteran, led the team over 10,000 feet up in a climb that took multiple days.

The news provider explained climbing mountains acts as a form of empowerment for vets who may have difficulties re-integrating with civilian society. Leadership and teamwork are important on the climb, and each individual makes major contributions to getting the group safely to the summit. A nonprofit group called Veterans Expeditions supports the journeys and hopes its trips help participants form strong bonds as they experience nature together. These teamwork-intensive sojourns counter the isolation vets may feel.

Ending veteran homelessness is an effort that has gone all the way to the top, with officials up to and including President Obama committed to ensuring that when soldiers return from duty, they have safe places to live. While it's good to have high-profile projects and initiatives dedicated to housing veterans, it's also important to have local and regional authorities, as well as private organizations, renew their commitment to getting vets off the streets in their own communities. A few of these notable undertakings deserve a spotlight, as they are doing important work to help veterans going through difficult times re-integrate with civilian life.

Hotel renovated into refuge for homeless vets
In Macon, Georgia, an old hotel is being converted in Home Port, a complex of rooms for veterans to stay in, local TV station WMAZ reported. With many vets lacking any place to go, the hotel has already filled 11 rooms and hopes to convert 80 more. It is searching for assistance in finishing the work, hoping that the county commission will fund its continued development. Volunteer work from the public is also welcome. Home Port has already seen good results from the rooms it has been able to offer and hopes the rest will be ready soon.

The partners behind the project are currently able to prepare approximately one room every week for habitation. They are hoping to become faster once they secure the funding they seek. Veterans who already live in the ex-hotel space have found it pivotal in helping them through rough transitional periods, when they may not have anywhere else to go. One resident, Tommy Barron, explained to WMAZ that he can live at Home Port with his dogs, and that the feeling of camaraderie is strong between the vets staying there, fostered by their shared military background.

Mac McAfee, the maintenance manager in charge of converting old hotel rooms into new living spaces, told the news provider that Home Port can provide security in the form of meals or clothing for those who are at their lowest. When vets are suffering through periods of homelessness, organizations such as these can be life-savers.

Donation renews San Antonio shelter
A recent report from San Antonio's KENS highlighted another effort to renovate and improve a specialized space for homeless vets. The American GI Forum's Residential Center for Homeless Veterans houses 140 individuals, and has just received $29,000 from local company Briggs Equipment to ensure its kitchens and outdoor spaces are up to par. The city of San Antonio has demonstrated it is capable of providing homes for its entire homeless veteran population.

Even in a city that is so well prepared, there is a need to keep the shelter open and ready to help. American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach Program President and CEO Carlos Martinez told the news provider that 53 more veterans become homeless each month in the San Antonio area alone. This has turned a shelter that was intended to be temporary into a permanent refuge for those most in need.

Veterans' needs when they return from the military to civilian life can go beyond the obvious. Organizations hoping to help military personnel re-integrate into their communities can find plenty of niches where assistance would make a major difference – for instance, legal services could be inaccessible to veterans for reasons of time or money. Fortunately, organizations do exist to offer legal help to veterans and guide them safely through the challenges they may face.

Houston Bar actively helping vets.
Filing claims and having them approved can be a long and complex process, one that may require more time and money than veterans can summon without help. According to Houston Public Media, this is why lawyers' organizations such as the Houston Bar Association offer free legal advice and assistance clinics for veterans. Attorney Kevin Clark explained that he feels a sense of duty to help service members, and that has encouraged him to donate his time and expertise.

The kinds of cases solved by the legal helpers vary widely. The news provider gave examples including lawsuits over housing code violations, domestic cases and benefits claims. Individuals struggling with the challenges of leaving the military may lack the time and money to win their cases, even when they are in the right. This is why the free legal clinic is such a helpful option. The number of individuals served over its eight years in existence – 14,000 – is a clear indicator that the program appeals to a wide variety of veterans.

As with many plans established to assist vets with everyday needs, the legal clinics are made possible by outstanding efforts by volunteers. Houston Public Media reported that the Houston Bar's program has called on services from over 500 attorneys. By donating their time, these individuals closed more than 1,000 cases in the course of a year. These lawyers have provided more than 15,000 hours of legal services, making a big difference in the lives of local veterans. Having someone step in to assist with a case can lift a huge weight from a vet's shoulders.

National effort ramps up
The Houston Bar isn't the only part of the Bar Association making moves to help vets. According to the American Bar Association's official outlet, the ABA Journal, the organization's president Linda Klein has committed to new programs that will further solidify services for military members. A 20-person commission will decide which services will be added as part of the ABA Veterans Legal Services Initiative. The news provider reported that a new online portal and partnerships between lawyers and the medical community could be in the pipeline.

In addition to the above ideas, the Veterans Legal Services Initiative may include a new proposal for local bar associations and legal schools. Under this program, veterans will receive legal services from lawyers who are in training. The young legal professionals will receive valuable experience performing their duties, while the vets get assistance with any pending litigation or claims. Efforts such as these, implemented across the country, could make a huge difference for veteran populations.

The strain of returning from active military duty to civilian life can be taxing under the best of circumstances. When a major injury is involved, the process can seem insurmountable. One of the most dangerous elements is isolation: If veterans find themselves alone, apart from their friends, family and communities, their quality of life may suffer tremendously. Fortunately, there are programs and events designed to bring wounded and disabled vets together and create meaningful opportunities for them to interact and enjoy life again.

Healing with sports
The Associated Press recently spotlighted a camp in Rhode Island that helps former military personnel reclaim their lives via sports and recreation as they cope with a variety of serious ailments. Called the Veterans Affairs New England Summer Sports Clinic, it features both land- and water-based events. Some of the visitors to the camp have spinal injuries that impair motor function. Others have lost limbs or vision.

Not all of the wounds are physical in nature, as mental health ailments are also treated at the retreat. In addition to addressing a wide range of disabilities, the program accepts vets of all ages – as of this year's July session, the youngest were in their 20s and the oldest over 80.

According to the news provider, there are a number of related sports organizations around the country, overseen by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Rhode Island camp is operated by the Providence VA Medical Center and the VA Boston Healthcare System. The camp has been held for seven years now, and keeps in contact with local organizations to present its many sports options. It is followed by a winter edition, which takes place in New Hampshire and focuses on snow sports.

"Some of the more traditional activities that occur in VA hospitals, bingo, card playing, those sorts of things, while those are nice, we had a young generation that came out of the battlefield," Richard Leeman, Boston-area assistant chief of voluntary services, told the AP. "They wanted to do the things they did prior to their injury."

Golf has proven to act as a form of therapy.

Golf acts as therapy
Rochester, New York-based TV station WHAM recently spotlighted another instance of wounded veterans improving their lives through sports. The Simpson Cup, a golf tournament doubling as a form of therapy for disabled vets, is set to take place at the Oak Hill Country Club this autumn.

The event includes teams of former service members from the United States and United Kingdom and acts as both mental and physical rehabilitation. The themes of competition and teamwork are both present in the golf tournament, but the gradual pace of the game allows it to double as a relaxing experience, one that can help vets heal.

Wherever sports events are being held for disabled veterans, the organizers are doubtless hoping for similar results: to help individuals return to fulfilling lives despite the injuries that have befallen them during their service. Golf competitions, summer sports clinics and winter sports camps are a few notable examples, but there are many more – based on the needs of vets in the area, just about any game can help.

Veterans' memories of their time in the military is an important record of the nation's history. If these stories are allowed to fade without being collected and told, something of great value is lost. According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Library of Congress is fortunately making progress on preserving these accounts through its Veterans History Project. The news provider noted that as a commemoration of National Purple Heart Day, which is recognized every August 7th, court reporters are archiving the stories of vets who have been awarded Purple Hearts for sustaining wounds during their service.

Holding onto History
Each generation has unique experiences that may hold important lessons for the future. The Sun Times explained that making sure these recollections are recorded and officially preserved is a valuable undertaking, one that the Veterans History Project has devoted itself to. National Court Reporters Association Foundation Manager April Weiner told the news provider that with older veterans passing away, it's important to ensure their memories of the conflicts that defined their eras live on.

Weiner noted that 1,500 veterans die on an average day. Ensuring there is a legacy that outlives each individual is therefore important work for the organizations collaborating on the project. Personal memories of past wars and other military actions may present a perspective that is absent from more top-down accounts. By collecting individuals' recollections, the Library of Congress is ensuring that future generations will have a multifaceted look at what military life was really like throughout U.S. history. Conflicts such as the Vietnam War are being documented now, while there are still many living who were involved.

National Purple Heart Day is a time to remember service members' sacrifices.

The Sun Times added that eight interviews were held for National Purple Heart Day, and they will be available through both on-site and online archives. The digital age has given researchers functionally infinite space to store information, meaning that there is no reason not to collect every available perspective on the military experience. People who have served will inevitably have unique and valuable perspectives on their service.

"War is unimaginable if you haven't been through it, and these interviews help to give more life to their stories," Weiner told the news provider.

Other Purple Heart Day celebrations
The recorded accounts are one part of a larger set of commemorative activities on National Purple Heart Day. New Mexico news provider the Las Cruces Sun-News recently highlighted the dedication of a new monument to veterans who have received Purple Hearts. The new installation is located near a previous memorial, the Veterans Memorial Wall.

The Sun-News spoke with veterans who attended the ceremony, including multiple former service members who sustained wounds in the Vietnam War. They explained that there is an added significance to highlighting those who have been wounded in combat, speaking about fellow soldiers who suffered severe injuries in the course other duties. Those are individuals who have given immeasurably to their country, and commemorating them means highlighting an inescapable part of war.

The news provider reported that the dedication was attended by a crowd of approximately 100. The stone monument will remain in Veterans Memorial Park for Las Cruces residents to visit and think about the service members who have suffered wounds for their country.

While veteran homelessness has been addressed at the local, state, and federal levels over the past several years, it's still an issue affecting thousands of former service members every day. However, even the most desperate of situations often isn't enough to diminish veterans' sense of duty and respect. As a result, one homeless New Hampshire vet is doing more to help people in the same situation as he is.

Albert Peel is a 77-year-old Coast Guard veteran and longtime businessman who lost his home to foreclosure in 2008. Since then, he has been in and out of tenuous living situations throughout the Granite State, according to a report from the Keene Sentinel. However, that hasn't stopped him from starting the Veterans Relief Organization with the goal of helping former service members who run into homelessness and related issues.

Homelessness remains a problem among vets, but more is being done to address it.