With Veteran’s Day having just passed in the U.S., we should take the time to not only honor those who have passed in service, but also those who served and are currently struggling.
Veteran homelessness and unemployment can be a topic that goes under the radar, only really brought up during major elections.
According to Veterans Affairs as of Jan. 2024, 32,882 veterans in the U.S. are classified as homeless—with 19,031 being in sheltered homelessness and 13,851 being in unsheltered homelessness.
While this number has gone down significantly in recent years, this is still something to be brought to the public eye.
After service, many veterans will also have a disability because of their time in the military.
The U.S. census for 2022 states that around 30% of veterans had reported some form of service-related disability. This includes both physical and cognitive.
With this, many veterans will be denied disability claims; around 36% of all claims were denied in 2024.
Combined, around 54% of veterans are both homeless and disabled.
Additionally, 1.2 million veterans are beneficiaries of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and around 1.6 million are on Medicaid.
With the government shutdown still ongoing, Veterans Affairs has been impacted also affecting current military members.
Around 16,000 people are unable to have their transitional briefings, which allows them to leave the armed forces.
Career counseling for veterans has also been put to a standstill, with over 100,000 people being impacted.
Our government needs to do better. The people that put their lives on the line should be supported, not tossed to the side once their time in the armed forces is done.
Our veterans deserve job opportunities, housing, healthcare, food and overall support just as much as the rest of us. The government needs to change how it supports our veterans.
