As we enter December and temperatures continue to drop, we reach the season where survival can be acutely difficult for the homeless. The VA estimates that up to 131,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. This is clearly a time for serious thinking about how to address this persistent problem.
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has publicly committed to working to end veteran homelessness within 5 years. In 2010 the VA will spend $3.2 billion to achieve this goal, with “as much as $500 million going to homeless programs and $2.5 billion to medical services,” according to the Washington Times.
Ending veteran homelessness is no doubt a hugely ambitious goal, but this weekend in the news we see a smattering of stories which provide some hope that substantive steps are being taken to help achieve that goal. A new homeless shelter is has been dedicated in Ventura, CA, which will have the capacity for 60 disabled and elderly veterans and was largely funded by the VA. In Shreveport, LA a similar facility is being opened by the Volunteers of America, with a capacity for 56 veterans. And finally, a 32-bed shelter will open today in Chicago in a ceremony attended by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Illinois Asst. VA Secretary Tammy Duckworth.
As the Washington Times states,
Our time waiting for soldiers to return from war will be well spent if we are about the shared goal of protecting and defending our country. Protecting those least among us from the inhumane conditions of persistent poverty and defending their right to housing.
