henrymdiaz's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

As Veteran’s Day comes to a close we should pay special consideration to homeless veterans and encourage the Obama administration to continue pursuing new efforts to end homelessness among veterans.  No one should have to live with out a home, and it’s shameful that those who have committed their lives to serving the country often do not receive support and assistance when they need it most.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, one out of every four homeless people in America is a veteran and over the course of the year roughly 336,627 veterans experience homelessness.  The new report also reveal that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are falling into homelessness earlier than those who served in Vietnam, which makes it clear that new approaches are vital to address the needs of returning troops.

Bills and initiatives currently under review in Congress seek to address the wide variety of issues facing veterans, including physical disabilities, mental illness and assistance for single parents.  Wisely, the administration’s approach to ending homelessness among troops (and hopefully others), seeks to provide services and housing to those already homeless, as well as efforts to increase prevention of homelessness in the first place.

Watch this video below from InvisiblePeople.tv to learn about Dale, a Vietnam veteran struggling with homelessness and health issues.  And use the act link to support the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Dale from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.