According to The Center for American Progress, 1.5 million veterans are at risk of homelessness as a result of poverty. With Veteran's Day being only a few weeks away, students at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, got to experience first-hand what it was like to be a veteran in modern society.
The Veterans Affairs Administration and Fairfield University's nursing school partnered to conduct a simulation for the nursing students. According to WTNH News 8, the students were each given a packet that gave them a scenario that included things like how many kids they had, if they were employed and what they made at that job. The students then had to go through the daily activities and responsibilities of a veteran on the resources listed in their packet. The news source reported that many students in the simulation had to "visit" a loan provider or sell items at a pawn shop to try to make it through their imaginary week.
The simulation was meant to show students the difficulties that many veterans face.
"Caring for veterans requires knowledge of their service experience," nursing school Dean and former servicemember Meredith Kazer told WTNH News 8. "Knowledge of the impact on families, special diseases that are in higher prevalence among veterans."
Many of the participants told the news source that they left the experience with a deeper respect for servicemembers.