1.  From Win Over PTSD- “Homelessness in Veterans” by Charlene Rubush:

I’ve just received a link from Rosalyn Willson to an excellent infographic article titled “Gimme Shelter: Homeless in America. It focuses on the many faces and causes of homelessness in the United States.

The article notes that there are approximately 62,000 or 13% of the homeless population that are veterans. In a 2011 HUD study it’s was learned that veterans are 50% more likely than other Americans to become homeless.

Also, homelessness has increased in 2013 by 6% from 2012. Veterans are more susceptible to homelessness due to many factors:

• Physical injuries
• Post-traumatic stress
• Mental suffering

The article extensively delves into the broad depth of the homelessness problem in our country. There are two main trends that are largely responsible for a rise in homelessness over the past 20-25 years:

• A growing shortage of affordable rental housing
• A simultaneous increase in poverty

While the article cites some pretty grim statistics, it also provides a small glimmer of hope. It lists some famous people who were once homeless and where they stayed. It’s quite surprising to learn of them.

Here are a few:

•  Kelly Clarkson (Streets)
•  Ella Fitzgerald (Streets of Harlem)
•  David Letterman (His truck)
•  Joan Rivers (Car)
•  Martin Sheen (New York Subway)

I hope all my readers will go to the following link and read the full article. It is very informative and should make those of us who have a home realize how very fortunate we are.

Plus it may prompt us to see what we can do to become part of a solution to this crisis. It’s heartbreaking and shameful. As such a rich nation, mustn’t we do better?

http://www.superscholar.org/homeless

2.  From 100,000 Homes: “Housing First“:

The only lasting solution to homelessness is permanent housing. Far too often, however, we attempt to treat the symptoms of homelessness instead of its root cause.

For years, homeless service providers worked to offer medical and mental health care, addiction counseling, job training and countless other services to people living on the streets. Most homeless people were told they had to earn their way to permanent housing by checking these supplementary boxes.

While the intentions behind this approach were good, the unfortunate result was that very few people ever escaped the streets.