On June 14, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing on health legislation for veterans. Included was a bill (H.R. 2378) to provide supportive services to very low-income veterans in permanent housing. Sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), the Services to Prevent Veterans Homelessness Act would authorize $25 million for each fiscal year for services that would include health care, counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), child care, housing counseling, personal financial planning, and educational services.
American Legion Deputy Director for Health, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission Shannon Middleton stated, “The American Legion fully supports this bill in its effort to assist homeless veterans. We applaud that the bill recognizes that families also suffer alongside the veteran struggling with homelessness.” Emphasizing the needs of women veterans, she said, “Homeless veteran service providers’ clients have historically been almost exclusively male. That is changing as more women veterans and women veterans with young children have sought help. Additionally, the approximately 200,000 female Iraq veterans are isolated during and after deployment making it difficult to find gender-specific peer-based support. Access to gender-appropriate care for these veterans is essential.”
Ms. Middleton continued, “More women are engaging in combat roles in Iraq where there are no traditional front lines. In the past 10 years, the number of homeless women veterans has tripled. In 2002, the VA began a study of women and PTSD. The study includes subjects whose PTSD resulted from stressors that were both military and non-military in nature. Preliminary research shows that women currently serving have much higher exposure to traumatic experiences, rape, and assault prior to joining the military. Other reports show extremely high rates of sexual trauma while women are in the service (20-40 percent). Repeated exposure to traumatic stressors increases the likelihood of PTSD. Researchers also suspect that many women join the military, at least in part, to get away from abusive environments. Like the young veterans, these women may have no safe supportive environment to return to, adding yet more risk of homeless outcomes.”
Noting that “[h]omeless veteran service providers recognize that they will have to accommodate the needs of the changing homeless veteran population, including increasing numbers of women and veterans with dependents,” Ms. Middleton cited a FY2006 VA report that reflected increasing numbers of homeless veterans with families: “Ninety-four sites (68 percent of all sites) reported a total of 989 homeless veteran families seen, with Los Angeles seeing the most families (156). This was a 10 percent increase over the previous year of 896 reported families…VA homeless workers must often find other community housing resources to place the entire family or the dependent children separately. Separating family members can create hardship.”
