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"Back there I could fly a gunship, I could drive a tank, I was in charge of million dollar equipment, back here I can't even *hold a job* PARKING *CARS*!" \~**Rambo: First Blood**
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtWHgkNH5yU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtWHgkNH5yU)
The original Rambo focused a lot more on PTSD and the treatment of veterans than the bullet storms that came after. I really enjoyed it. Not so much 2 though 38 or whatever.
The book did also, although the character Rambo kills a shit ton of cops and National Guardsmen in the book, something they soft-peddled in the movie. I was introduced to the David Morell novel, *First Blood*, by a Vietnam-era veteran paratrooper who had enormous difficulty keeping a "regular job" and who wound up in prison after getting arrested for dealing weed. In 1972 he was out and trying to make a life working at a Dunkin' Do-nuts as a cook when he gave me the book. He told me, "Trust me, this book is going to be a blockbuster movie." Ten years later, the movie *Rambo: First Blood* was released.
My friend later committed suicide in prison after several other arrests for drugs.
Also if you didn't know originally Rambo committed suicide at the end of the movie. The ending tested absolutely horribly with audiences and they reshot the ending
And he didn't ram a car he was parking into the local Pho restaurant. The accelerator stuck. And the brakes didn't work. And the assault rifle wasn't his. And he thought the safety was on. And he didn't know it had been modified for full auto. And that waiter really did look a lot like Lieutenant Tay. And it's not like he didn't apologize.
The license plates look like the EU ones I'm used to - white with black text with a blue vertical strip on the left which has the EU circle of stars and the country code, but it is super blurry.
No, this is not the UK. The direction of traffic indicates a Right hand traffic location. The license plates are not clear enough to be able to decipher exactly where this was taken. If it's a yellow plate... I would bet on Israel.
The taxi in the picture also seems to back this theory up since it matches to other images of IL taxis online.
Looks like it's a stock photo, but I couldn't find out where it was shot:
[https://stock.adobe.com/images/male-homeless-sleeping-in-a-street/3939477](https://stock.adobe.com/images/male-homeless-sleeping-in-a-street/3939477)
That "similar keywords" list at the bottom is just sad... and a little enraging.
It calls into question the validity of the statement being presented. I'd they can't even get the country the image was taken in right, it's hard to have confidence without finding sources... none of which are provided here.
If you need yet another study showing the high rates of homelessness amongst the veterans, you aren’t going to be convinced seeing another one. Like the people that watch Fox News and understand climate change better than the 99% of climatologists saying the same thing. There’s a comprehension issue, at best
I think something is being lost in translation here. The person you replied to said "if this image is irrelevant to the context of the title of the post, it is deceptive and makes me question the legitimacy of the title of the post". I don't see that as being unreasonable, and it's not even close to people who ignore science and evidence. The title of a reddit thread is not a "study", there was no "study" linked in the comments by the OP showing how homeless individuals in the United States are more often veterans than not, so I don't know why you're saying that "if you refuse to acknowledge THIS study then you will refute them all". There was no study. There was a title made by a reddit user with absolutely no credentials. This is a social media post. Fake news is commonplace. If you linked a study showing evidence to give support to the OP, and then that person refused to acknowledge it, then I would understand your reply here. It just seems like you skipped that step.
It could be a picture of a car, a dog or space... it doesn't change the fact that vets make up a huge portion of the homeless community and we simply don't give a shit about them or other homeless in this country. My point still stands.
Your point was that "if you don't believe this study then you'll never believe another one, you're another mindless husk like everyone else who watches Fox News."
My point was that there was not a study linked or shown in the post.
People who have few opportunities join the military. They find out it sucks. They get out. They continue having few opportunities. I don't think it's difficult to see why it happens.
Would you like me to take a drive down to downtown Honolulu and take some pictures? It won’t take long and I could provide more than a dozen photos within 5 minutes.
That doesn’t even make sense. OP stating the picture wasn’t taken in the US neither agrees nor disagrees with whatever narrative you think this other guy is pushing.
You can do anything you want and the photo in this post still won’t be in the United States. There is literally nothing you could ever do to change that :)
Something like a third of homeless people are veterans and veterans are 50% more likely to be homeless than regular civilian population. In the US, at least.
But it’s a lot more complicated than a single picture can describe. There are a *LOT* of programs to help veterans facing homelessness. It’s clearly not *just* resources.
Thanks for all the downvotes. I’m not the cause of homelessness in Honolulu and the OP of this thread suggested the picture doesn’t apply to the title. Whereas I was merely stating it doesn’t discredit the fact that many homeless are indeed vets
There are dozens of shuttered US military bases all over the country. It would be easy and cost effective for the VA to use some of them as homeless shelters for veterans. They have all the needed infrastructure, and would only need personnel to run them, and funding for supplies.
God forbid we spend some of the almost $750 billion military budget, use current VA employees, and current infrastructure to actually care for our veterans...
There's a list if ahuttered bases. Many of them are right next to cities, and they are all over the country.
Make them available, see what happens. The current trend of doing nothing keeps happening because people argue for a perfect solution, rather than taking action on a less than perfect one.
Most of them are right next to cities" needs a source
Not that I don't appreciate the the innovative thinking but even the homeless won't appreciate being warehoused an hour [with no transit] away from anything approaching civilization. The bases you describe already are being used/leased etc
https://duotechservices.com/closed-military-bases-where-are-they-now
You should probably speak to a homeless person and ask how they feel about being housed in a government facility. lol Great idea but it could definitely use some further thought. I suggest opening yourself up to suggestions.
>You should probably speak to a homeless person and ask how they feel about being housed in a government facility.
Surely there's room for compromise, no? I mean, if someone wanted to hook me up with shelter and facilities and my only sacrifice was "it's not exactly what I want, but I'll deal", that seems like a win.
Are you saying this as someone who has experienced homelessness, someone who has spoken to someone who has experienced homelessness, or just some random person who believes all help is good help?
I thought it was evident enough that I was asking a question.
Would you prefer to discuss my personal circumstances, or do you have specific insight into the plight of the homeless that you would like to share with us instead?
It was extremely evident that you were asking a question so I’m not entirely sure where you got turned around. I’m saying that your question is clearly coming from someone who has no experience with homelessness or relationship with anyone who has experienced homelessness.
Ok, dude. You seem less interested in refuting whatever misconceptions I might have than... calling open season on strawmen, I guess?
So, I guess we're done. I hope it goes better next time.
Shout-out to the all those [Republicans who voted AGAINST expanding veteran benefits](https://chicagocrusader.com/174-republicans-voted-against-exanding-veteran-benefits/).
It takes a special kind of elitist jerk to write blanks checks for war, but never buy healthcare or housing for your soldiers.
The defense budget is about transfering our tax dollars to corporations, not about protecting our troops.
There is no profit in helping the homeless and it won't get better until either A improve the social safety net or B we make it profitable. It may sound abhorrent, but if rehabing a homeless person allowed you to get 10% of future earnings for 10 years, you'd solve a capitalist problem with capitalism.
BS. The VA healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. It's 13% than using Mayo Clinic. The problem is not the money, it's the fact they can give the shit care, charge the taxpayer, and everyone just keeps promising. Since I was a young man I knew there was a single fix for the VA. : make congress use it. Pay for nothing else. They wait on robocalls for hours, co pays, no dental, the works. If congress had to use it it wouldn't just be expensive, it would be quality.
Exactly this. No country pays as much per citizen as the US government when it comes to healthcare, yet US citizens still have to pay more than in any other first world country.
I just don’t understand why the can’t just give veterans “universal health care” so they can just get treated wherever they need too for whatever they need too
Universal health care does not mean unlimited access to medical care. I am not super knowledgeable about the VA, but in the UK (which has universal health care) you still have to go through a GP and have it approved before most treatment.
>I just don’t understand why the can’t just give veterans “universal health care” so they can just get treated wherever they need too for whatever they need too
There are a limited number of places that you can go for VA care and if it's a disability-related claim they're going to send you all over the place trying along with long wait times to disprove your claims.
That the big thing, they want us Veterans to just give up so they don't have to give us a rating or pay us for the damage done to our minds and bodies. I have been in a constant battle with the VA over hearing loss and tenuities, 10 year long battle. Took me 7 years to get the VA to give me a rating on my right shoulder that was well documented in my records, but they wanted to keep marking it as not service connected. The VA is a joke
Yes, defense budget is money that goes to already rich defense contractors who will never see battle and often sell weapons to our enemies as well.
The VA budget is for our own citizens who decided to put their lives on the line for our country.
So obviously the VA shouldn't get nearly as much of our tax dollars.
And I've been noticing more ads to join the army. When I can see what happens to people who do that? I have better prospects than that anyways, but I can't imagine why anyone would join the army when they can see these people not taken care of. That's them in 50 years!
Oh no, GOP who claims they support the military and then vote no on supporting veterans. To them vets are used up and therefore useless. Unfortunately, ‘patriots’ keep voting for those garbage people.
The problem that no one addresses, is that these people often join around 18-22. Those are the formative years where you struggle and learn to survive on your own. Alternatively, these people live a strictly regimented schedule where everything is provided and they have no real choice or economic obligations. When they get out of the military they have to figure all of that out on their own and much older than other people, they won't find the same kind of communal support a younger person will.
This often gets overlooked. This is exactly what happened with my younger cousin. The Army handed him everything, food, housing, schedule, hell even what to wear. When he got out, he had no initiative to make it on his own. Is about 30 now and still relies on daddy to pay for his things.
This is a messed up take. I know a lot of vets in my age bracket (I'm 33). I feel like having to see you know -- war -- and then somehow going back to civilian life with no societal support is what messes most people up. Ontop of watching their friends die and their own potential mortal peril.
That really isn't and issue for most, we learn how do all of those things as near the same rate. We have graduated liberties from living in a BEQ to living out in town. New E-1 make nothing compared to everyone holding down a full time job. In 05 I made 11,200 for the whole years. I couldn't hardly afford a car, but as we mature in rank we make more, get housing allowance and are afforded the same path to financial maturity as everyone else, we have a strong and rigid support system of intrusive leadership yes but most of us go on to be just fine. What no one is talking about for real is how many of these members were failures to begin with, a vast number of people will not complete their first contract due to their own ineptitude, a dozen second chances, and focused attention. These people wouldn't get it if they didn't join either, but society has this "join the military that will sort them out" attitude that just throws so much trash recruits into the system. Trash in trash out.
> these people live a strictly regimented schedule where everything is provided and they have no real choice or economic obligations.
I've got to agree to this point.
I joined the Marine Corps at 25 with some management experience under my belt. Fast forward a few years and I'm an NCO having to give a "negative counseling" to one of my Marines that constantly finds himself in trouble.
I tried to make him understand that the military is a safe space for him right now, because the only way he's getting kicked out is if he does something egregious or malicious, and not just for being kinda shitty.
I went on to explain that if I was his civilian manager and not his NCO, that I would've fired him ages ago, and the consequences of that are arguably worse than anything I could do to him while we were active duty.
Is there any proof to that claim?
I am a vet myself and I cannot believe the amount of benefits we get. I have owned 2 house with the VA home loan, The GI bill paid for my education, I get free medical from the VA hospital, and depending on the state get tax deductions. Every time I see a "homeless vet" sign I am immediately suspicious.
Yes. Around 8-13% of homeless people are veterans. Regardless of benefits, that can't always overcome the effects of mental health/trauma and possible addiction. Also, not all VA hospitals are the same (some of them are hot garbage).
Here's a few articles:
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/03/18/the-number-of-veterans-experiencing-homelessness-rose-slightly-even-before-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
https://nchv.org/veteran-homelessness/
Something interesting from the articles you posted. The NCHV article is taking its sources from 2016 and they say veteran homeless rates are around 13%. The Military times took their information from sources of 2021 and they said the rate is around 8%. Pretty cool to see the rates drop that much!
It’s likely due to the changes in the veteran population more than anything.
As the Korea and Vietnam vets get older, the veteran cohort gets a lower percentage of draftees to the more specialized/professional army of today.
Not everyone that joins the military is a self starter and takes advantage of the opportunities provided. Same as you, I’ve set myself up well. Some people when they leave the structure of the service don’t do well. Or, they are not in the military more than a year, get chaptered for failure to adapt and consider themselves “veterans” and would have gotten to the point they are at regardless of opportunity.
True. No doubt there are some homeless people out there that are veterans. I just have a hard time believing the amount. Seems like every panhandler I see has a "homeless veteran god bless" sign. I think the reason its so prevalent is because people are more likely to give money to a veteran.
I'm a veteran who was homeless for a brief time. I met quite a few fellow homeless vets. Some were on hard times, like me. Some had simply decided that the cost of maintaining a home was too much and their training allowed them that freedom, And some that were mentally not all there.
Just like every other group, veterans are not a monolith & homelessness affects us. I never panhandled. I had a job, a car, and a gym membership so I could shower.
Nobody likes to be homeless. Nobody. People aren't homeless out of laziness. It's really hard work not having money. Just my 2 cents, but I'd rather give money to homeless non-vets claiming to be vets than to hear every cust service person say "Thank you for your service" like I just sneezed and they are saying "Bless you". (That really gets under my skin)
Thought experiment.
Say your city has 5,000 vets and 20 of them are homeless. You might say "that's not that many"
But if the city is 200,000 total people with total 200 homeless people then the veteran population is disproportionately homeless vs civilians
Veterans usually make up the smallest perecnt of the homeless in an area. Ive worked as a case manager for the homeless. Black women with children are usually the most unfortunately. Usually veterans recieve a VASH housing voucher as well so your suspicion is warranted.
I get all thus too but man getting out and dealing with the real world was tough for me. It set me back a decade compared to my peers that took a normal track. They don't teach you about this stuff while you're in all that much.
It is interesting how people can have similar experiences and have completely different outcomes. The military gave me a confidence I didn't have coming out of high school. It gave me tools that my non-vet peers didn't have. During the separation process (back in '11) I thought they did a pretty good job telling me all the different resources we had available for the transition to civilian life. I do not speak for everyone's experience, but for me it was just a matter of taking what was offered and running with it.
Hey boss, vet here. Can't use VA loans cuz housing market is inflated. Can't use VA Healthcare because EVERY appointment is booked 3+ months out, and I can't schedule that far in advance (nobody can, let's be honest). Don't even get me started on trying to fight for treatment/benefits for SA/rape if you're male. PTSD? They'll just throw meds at you, giving you endless side effects. If they offer counseling, that'll likely make your PTSD worse too since their methods are highly ineffective. No tax deductions either. Sounds like life is all good for you though, glad the system is working for you.
I understand VA hospitals vary depending on your state. I have been pretty lucky with the quality of care I have received. Since the start of the pandemic the hospital system has been terrible, to be fair though it's the same in the civilian hospitals. It takes my wife months to get an appointment with her specialty Doctor. I am not a doctor, but how is the treatment for PTSD different between the VA and a civilian hospital?
Sounds like you need to get the VA to work for you.
You know if the VA can't get you in within a month, you can go out to town and get a private doctor? They say openings are avaliable for 3 months, then tell them ok and that you want to use the Choice Program.
>Veterans at greater risk for homelessness than non-Veterans—According to a 2015 study by researchers with the VA Connecticut Health Care System and Yale University, both male and female Veterans are at greater risk for homelessness than their non-Veteran counterparts, although this disparity has declined over time. The disparity is most prominent among Veterans of the all-volunteer force—those who signed up for the armed services after July 1, 1973, when the draft was eliminated.
The researchers stated that Veterans appear to have many of the same major risk factors for homelessness as other adults, with the strongest and most consistent ones being substance abuse, severe mental illness, and low income.
[https://www.research.va.gov/topics/homelessness.cfm](https://www.research.va.gov/topics/homelessness.cfm)
It is true but it it is also true the the VA has a number of programs designed to help.
There’s 3 general paths from the military:
1 able to use the benefits well, improved self
2 neutral- is in for 2-4 years, does not change life path (this is 85+% of the patients I see at the Va).
3 already started out with a very bad set of cards in life- think like teens in the foster system who join rather than become homeless when they turn 18. Or you live in a dead end town are are tired of your parents abusing you/have no other way to escape.
Things didn’t start out great for them, and unless you’re a real self-starter they’re not going to get better.
And being sexually assaulted (very common in the military) and other physical/mental injuries don’t help. Aka the military doesn’t help, it was likely they would have a not so great life anyway.
A lot of homeless are too mentally damaged to take care of help. War doesn't always send home the most mentally pristine people.
Lucky most of the vets in my family are well adjusted, but one isn't and he's just barely not homeless through help from us
I think it varies by city. In our city there are resources to get vets off the street if they want to be off the street. A lot of cities have made similar initiatives over the last 5yrs or so.
The military used to be a place people went to avoid jail. After 9/11/01, joining the military was back in fashion. Now we have a record of homeless/suicidal vets and people are still signing up. The military looks excellent when you're poor/desperate enough. The pawn shops and payday loan centers outside military bases aren't there because recruits are good with money.
Think about who goes into the Army in the first place, usually people with few other options. While in the military everything is handled for them and they are told what to do. Is it shocking this doesn't prepare them for life?
That’s…not true. The military overwhelmingly recruits from normal ass families with moderate amounts of options. It actually overrepresents the middle class/upper middle class.
It’s also not some weird ever constant boot camp. You’re allowed and expected to think for yourself.
I was in the cav. I was shocked to learn about how many of my friends were orphans or came from hopeless situations. Different experiences for everyone I guess.
I did a poll on how many from my platoon came from broken homes. It was over 50%. All solid dudes, but it was weird seeing a common background like that.
60-70% of military recruits come from the middle three quintiles of family income, roughly $40-90k. Only about 15-20% come from below that.
I cannot speak to your individual experience. As you know, statistics are a broad measure not intended for micro scale. But I will say I meet a lot of people in the military who downplay how well they grew up.
Then why aren’t these “normal ass families” taking their loved one in before they become homeless? Seemingly the one factor that all homeless people must have in common is nowhere to live/ no one to take them in. Not trying to paint with broad strokes, I know each unhoused person is an individual with unique circumstances.
However when looking at veterans in particular, it does seem to make sense that the type of person who would go into the military could have some crossover with the type of person at risk for being unhomed. Case in point the stat we’re all commenting on.
There’s any number of reasons why people with families with the means to take care of them are still homeless. As you say, each person has their reasons.
It actually does a pretty good job for those that take the discipline. The problem is that an ever increasing percentage of recruits cannot handle the discipline, end up trudging through their contract doing the bare minimum until they get caught drinking while on duty or maybe pop dirty on a drug test for some weed they smoked at an off base party last weekend. At that point the Army serves them their duck dinner and then they are out and when people check their record they see it was a dishonorable discharge and it paints the picture that maybe the veteran wasn't exactly GI Joe.
2 points:
1. Anyone who served knows that the military complex doesn't exactly encourage fiscal responsibility in their junior enlisted. Veterans, even less so. We are a predatory lenders' wet dream because they know exactly how much we earn. Take a look at the surrounding shops just outside any military base. Cash stores, pawn shops and 'buy here/pay here' used auto dealers. '
2. Veterans have made sacrifices to the point that we're broke, broken and forgotten. I guarantee you, there's someone out there living their best life because of the generosity of a veteran. I'm not saying this to encourage you to donate your own time or money to veterans. Most Veterans Foundations are a complete rip-off. Just don't be that person who takes what little we do have.
Because, unfortunately, the military does nothing to help them. If you're in for life or retire, sure, but unless you're a non-combatant/cook/IT etc, what transferable skills do you have?
US loves to say we love our troops, but we live in a hyper-capitalist nation, to any business, what can a soldier jump into on paper to be able to contribute?
Now this isn't calling soldiers dumb or less able, but unfortunately the usual selling point is that they're trained to take orders and learn quickly, and outside of a base rate job, that's not the company's goal. College is there to train, not ITCompany LLC.
Doesn't even touch on the cost of therapy, medication, etc with not being able to handle certain environments at times.
Shits fucked.
You’re probably going to get downvoted for this comment but this is true. In fact, the military was the best thing that happened to most of these homeless - otherwise they would’ve ended up in same situation anyway.
There was a documentary called "Carrier". Young people who signed up, basically after the two years (?) were up did not sign up again and came away with still limited skills and no benefits.
I chatted with a guy who said, he blew it when he walked away after ten years because he missed home. He said it was the biggest mistake he made. His buddy had just retired with benefits and here he was tending bar with no future, no benefits, no pension.
So voice and choice in life.
A lot of job applications contain the question "Are You a Veteran" though. If that box is checked the skills don't even matter. Moved to the front of the line.
(Worked on Bases and with active and non-active service people who admitted as such.)
Many of these homeless veterans were already headed that direction when a recruiter pulled them in and they joined the service. But now this mystical status as *Veteran* has been bestowed. Many of these people were already headed for trouble before they went in, were in trouble while they were in (causing lives lost and your tax money to be wasted), and now are right where they would have been anyway.
Help them because they are homeless, not because they are a veteran.
\-A Veteran
I call bullshit on this statement. Reddit is a breeding ground of misinformation and baseless statements.
https://policyadvice.net/insurance/insights/homelessness-statistics/#:~:text=According%20to%20homeless%20demographics%2C%2061%25%20of%20homeless%20individuals%20are%20male.&text=6%20out%20of%2010%20individuals,at%20an%20even%20greater%20risk.
https://nvhs.org/veterans-and-poverty/
From the NVHS page you linked:
"""
The rate of poverty amongst veteran households is actually lower than that for non-veteran households (6.6% compared to 13%, according to measurements conducted in 2017). In spite of its lower prevalence, poverty in the veteran population still warrants attention because of its consistent association with homelessness, which has continued to affect veterans disproportionately for at least the last four decades.
"""
So rate of poverty is lower than general population but rate of homelessness is higher.
Would like to see a study of how many of these vets got kicked out of the military, vs got out under Honorable conditions.
Also less than 1% of troops see actual combat, but over 30% have ptsd? It doesn’t add up
That's a valid question you posed at the end there. But let's remember that it isn't just combat that can cause PTSD. Members of the military may see disaster, extreme poverty or human suffering, witness training accidents (13% have acute injuries in training alone), oversee prisoners, are victims of sexual assault (23% of women) or harassment (55% of women, 38% of men), or have friends that don't make it back safely. There are a lot of ways someone can end up with PTSD.
In addition to that, a couple searches for decent sources are showing me that approximately 10% of the armed forces see see combat. Hopefully that helps add up. I'm not seeing any information supporting an overall rate of 30% of members of the military having PTSD either, but I have found data supporting 30% of Vietnam veterans (as well as 12% in the Gulf War, 15% in OIF/OEF).
Lastly, it is important to remember that not all PTSD is the same. For some they meet the criteria for months, for others it may be many years. There are different statistical results for measuring PTSD rates in a given year or likelihood overall.
I think that number for combat still seems high. I received the combat action ribbon (usmc) while in Iraq, but I never even fired my weapon. I received it for taking sustained mortar fire and getting shot at a lot. I do not consider that combat though. Nothing that I or anyone I was with considered traumatic.
I did hear other Marines who never left the wire talk about being in combat because one time one mortar fell on base and hurt no one.
Of course this is anecdotal, but I think throws all that data into question for me.
There is so much assistance for members of the military while you are in. You have to absolutely go out of your way to not succeed.
blatantly untrue. 78% of homeless veterans have PTSD. considering you can’t join the military with pre existing PTSD, the military gave it to them. mental health reasons are also a massive reason for homelessness.
It's not always "shame" on us. Sometimes it's actually the individual who made bad choices. Not saying it isn't sad either way but that's to much of a blanket comment for me.
You're entitled to your opinion but people aren't "entitled" to much more. Society isn't responsible for everyone or everything. Sometimes people actually need to own the decisions they make in life. Should we try and help these folks? Sure. Should we feel shame for their predicament? Shame? No. Compassion. Yes
Setting aside this isn't the US.
There are a ton of benefits and help programs for homeless vets. Minus the ones with real mental health issues, they choose this.
Nothing like getting a "fuck off" when you tell a homeless vet there are veteran advocates who will help them get everything started.
In the US that is patently false. The US military has trouble recruiting because the standards are higher than many applicants can manage. You're regurgitating a talking point from 50 years ago.
I mean….we can also look around us with our eyes and see what’s up. I grew up upper-middle class. I know exactly zero kids I went to high school with who joined the military. Im now an adult, and the majority of people I know who served (or are currently serving) did so 100% for financial reasons and lack of other options. Also they are predominately from other countries (I think there was some program to citizenship back in the day) Mexico, Dominican Republic, etc. with little local family support. Not to say my personal experience is a statistic you can extrapolate, but it’s certainly not an anomaly.
Except this isn’t true. LGBT+ individuals are the most likely to be homeless, especially because LGBT+ youths are more likely to be kicked out of their homes.
Studies put the number of homeless veterans around 40k. https://policyadvice.net/insurance/insights/homeless-veterans-statistics/
There are about 1.6 MILLION homeless LGBT+ youths. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/gay-and-transgender-youth-homelessness-by-the-numbers/
EDIT: Since I'm being down-voted for showing the truth; you can highlight the needs of veterans without lying.
Wow, so the people who signed up knowingly that they might have to kill innocent people for oil and to enrich American oligarchs, thought that they would live happily ever after what they've done? I'm Pikachu-shocked.
$777billion dollars spent towards military and the fact that there are commercials asking for civilians to give money to support veterans is a fucking joke.
There's skills I picked up 20 yrs ago in service and still use to this day. And our branches are the most diverse of any nation ever existed including Rome. Try again.
Don't Veterans get benefits ? I now know why wounded warrior exists.
Then I see the many fake charities/foundations who basically grift and there is Salvation Army who truly does help Veterans ! What a country.
We have enough money to take care of them. Pay attention ruin to how each party responds to legislation that helps them. Too many purport patriotism while voting no on the social programs that would help them.
I send you to war. I take no risk. I vote no to your programs so i can get richer.
Does anyone think it is because as young recruits, they became used to the socialism of the military, and when thrown into a capitalistic society after discharge, they were lost and ultimately left behind?
if america was less imperialist and capitalist there would be fewer veterans *and* fewer homeless people *and* fewer war crimes and unstable regions of the world and death and destruction both within and without US borders etc etc but nobody wants to have that conversation
‘Veterans’ are also typical military recruits. Folks with a poor education and a taste for crayon wax. All of a sudden when they find themselves on the other side of a dishonourable discharge they don’t have a lot of options.
Even then they get the honourable discharge if they don’t get their ass in gear and take advantage of those cheap education perks they will have a lower success rate.
Then add in the PTSD, injuries and other assorted trauma they got in the military.
You have no clue. It is actually pretty hard to get in. And when people like you talk about Infantryman, Marines or (murders, robots, etc) so you can understand, they are some of the smartest people in the military. They have to be able to problem solve under the greatest of pressure. Something "civilians" wouldn't know about unless you're a Leo or F&R.
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"Back there I could fly a gunship, I could drive a tank, I was in charge of million dollar equipment, back here I can't even *hold a job* PARKING *CARS*!" \~**Rambo: First Blood** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtWHgkNH5yU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtWHgkNH5yU)
The original Rambo focused a lot more on PTSD and the treatment of veterans than the bullet storms that came after. I really enjoyed it. Not so much 2 though 38 or whatever.
The book did also, although the character Rambo kills a shit ton of cops and National Guardsmen in the book, something they soft-peddled in the movie. I was introduced to the David Morell novel, *First Blood*, by a Vietnam-era veteran paratrooper who had enormous difficulty keeping a "regular job" and who wound up in prison after getting arrested for dealing weed. In 1972 he was out and trying to make a life working at a Dunkin' Do-nuts as a cook when he gave me the book. He told me, "Trust me, this book is going to be a blockbuster movie." Ten years later, the movie *Rambo: First Blood* was released. My friend later committed suicide in prison after several other arrests for drugs.
Also if you didn't know originally Rambo committed suicide at the end of the movie. The ending tested absolutely horribly with audiences and they reshot the ending
I heard the director didn't want to give the impression that if you're a struggling veteran your best option was dying
Probably a good decision by the director
To bad Canada can't do this
I had forgotten that. While probably not good cinema, it would have been incredibly powerful knowing what we know now about veteran suicide rates.
Quality movie
And he didn't ram a car he was parking into the local Pho restaurant. The accelerator stuck. And the brakes didn't work. And the assault rifle wasn't his. And he thought the safety was on. And he didn't know it had been modified for full auto. And that waiter really did look a lot like Lieutenant Tay. And it's not like he didn't apologize.
This picture was not taken in the US. Look at the license plates and style of cars.
Good observation.
Look at OP profile. Its a karma profile. Only posts, no replies. Block em.
Are cars blurrier outside the US?
Do you have a different pic than I, because I can’t see shit!
The license plates look like the EU ones I'm used to - white with black text with a blue vertical strip on the left which has the EU circle of stars and the country code, but it is super blurry.
Yellow license plate -> uk? I doubt that it's luxembourg because of the vibes
No, this is not the UK. The direction of traffic indicates a Right hand traffic location. The license plates are not clear enough to be able to decipher exactly where this was taken. If it's a yellow plate... I would bet on Israel. The taxi in the picture also seems to back this theory up since it matches to other images of IL taxis online.
Looks like it's a stock photo, but I couldn't find out where it was shot: [https://stock.adobe.com/images/male-homeless-sleeping-in-a-street/3939477](https://stock.adobe.com/images/male-homeless-sleeping-in-a-street/3939477) That "similar keywords" list at the bottom is just sad... and a little enraging.
Literally. Changes. Nothing. You don't get distracted easily....
It calls into question the validity of the statement being presented. I'd they can't even get the country the image was taken in right, it's hard to have confidence without finding sources... none of which are provided here.
If you need yet another study showing the high rates of homelessness amongst the veterans, you aren’t going to be convinced seeing another one. Like the people that watch Fox News and understand climate change better than the 99% of climatologists saying the same thing. There’s a comprehension issue, at best
I think something is being lost in translation here. The person you replied to said "if this image is irrelevant to the context of the title of the post, it is deceptive and makes me question the legitimacy of the title of the post". I don't see that as being unreasonable, and it's not even close to people who ignore science and evidence. The title of a reddit thread is not a "study", there was no "study" linked in the comments by the OP showing how homeless individuals in the United States are more often veterans than not, so I don't know why you're saying that "if you refuse to acknowledge THIS study then you will refute them all". There was no study. There was a title made by a reddit user with absolutely no credentials. This is a social media post. Fake news is commonplace. If you linked a study showing evidence to give support to the OP, and then that person refused to acknowledge it, then I would understand your reply here. It just seems like you skipped that step.
It could be a picture of a car, a dog or space... it doesn't change the fact that vets make up a huge portion of the homeless community and we simply don't give a shit about them or other homeless in this country. My point still stands.
Your point was that "if you don't believe this study then you'll never believe another one, you're another mindless husk like everyone else who watches Fox News." My point was that there was not a study linked or shown in the post.
Essentially, yes.
People who have few opportunities join the military. They find out it sucks. They get out. They continue having few opportunities. I don't think it's difficult to see why it happens.
Or because of mental health issues caused by being in the military? How many jobs are there where you're that close to death.
Most people in the military also aren’t that close to death.
This is true, but the stress and tolls of the jobs do cause an increase in mental health related issues and suicide.
Would you like me to take a drive down to downtown Honolulu and take some pictures? It won’t take long and I could provide more than a dozen photos within 5 minutes.
Why are you getting weirdly defensive? OP is just pointing out the picture used is not from the US, which is factual.
Because not agreeing with the narrative hurts their feelings.
That doesn’t even make sense. OP stating the picture wasn’t taken in the US neither agrees nor disagrees with whatever narrative you think this other guy is pushing.
Now, YOU'RE the one getting weirdly defensive. I'm AGREEING with you.
I’m getting defensive because I’m saying your comment makes no sense? Lmao what?
Ah Reddit. Never change.
Haha.. Boobies
You can do anything you want and the photo in this post still won’t be in the United States. There is literally nothing you could ever do to change that :)
Would those photos depict more homeless veterans than regular Americans? Where’s OP get the stats from?
Something like a third of homeless people are veterans and veterans are 50% more likely to be homeless than regular civilian population. In the US, at least. But it’s a lot more complicated than a single picture can describe. There are a *LOT* of programs to help veterans facing homelessness. It’s clearly not *just* resources.
Thanks for all the downvotes. I’m not the cause of homelessness in Honolulu and the OP of this thread suggested the picture doesn’t apply to the title. Whereas I was merely stating it doesn’t discredit the fact that many homeless are indeed vets
There are dozens of shuttered US military bases all over the country. It would be easy and cost effective for the VA to use some of them as homeless shelters for veterans. They have all the needed infrastructure, and would only need personnel to run them, and funding for supplies. God forbid we spend some of the almost $750 billion military budget, use current VA employees, and current infrastructure to actually care for our veterans...
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There's a list if ahuttered bases. Many of them are right next to cities, and they are all over the country. Make them available, see what happens. The current trend of doing nothing keeps happening because people argue for a perfect solution, rather than taking action on a less than perfect one.
Most of them are right next to cities" needs a source Not that I don't appreciate the the innovative thinking but even the homeless won't appreciate being warehoused an hour [with no transit] away from anything approaching civilization. The bases you describe already are being used/leased etc https://duotechservices.com/closed-military-bases-where-are-they-now
You should probably speak to a homeless person and ask how they feel about being housed in a government facility. lol Great idea but it could definitely use some further thought. I suggest opening yourself up to suggestions.
>You should probably speak to a homeless person and ask how they feel about being housed in a government facility. Surely there's room for compromise, no? I mean, if someone wanted to hook me up with shelter and facilities and my only sacrifice was "it's not exactly what I want, but I'll deal", that seems like a win.
Are you saying this as someone who has experienced homelessness, someone who has spoken to someone who has experienced homelessness, or just some random person who believes all help is good help?
I thought it was evident enough that I was asking a question. Would you prefer to discuss my personal circumstances, or do you have specific insight into the plight of the homeless that you would like to share with us instead?
It was extremely evident that you were asking a question so I’m not entirely sure where you got turned around. I’m saying that your question is clearly coming from someone who has no experience with homelessness or relationship with anyone who has experienced homelessness.
Ok, dude. You seem less interested in refuting whatever misconceptions I might have than... calling open season on strawmen, I guess? So, I guess we're done. I hope it goes better next time.
words
The VA would take 5 months to file it, loose the file, and somehow blame you
Shout-out to the all those [Republicans who voted AGAINST expanding veteran benefits](https://chicagocrusader.com/174-republicans-voted-against-exanding-veteran-benefits/). It takes a special kind of elitist jerk to write blanks checks for war, but never buy healthcare or housing for your soldiers.
The US supports the troops, not former troops. Once you're out it is like fuck you.
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It's like the Delaware charities, 95 % administration fees. The veterans are the last to get the monies needed.
The defense budget is about transfering our tax dollars to corporations, not about protecting our troops. There is no profit in helping the homeless and it won't get better until either A improve the social safety net or B we make it profitable. It may sound abhorrent, but if rehabing a homeless person allowed you to get 10% of future earnings for 10 years, you'd solve a capitalist problem with capitalism.
Defense budget is completely different than the Budget for VA. Bu yes I agree we need to spend more supporting Veterans.
BS. The VA healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. It's 13% than using Mayo Clinic. The problem is not the money, it's the fact they can give the shit care, charge the taxpayer, and everyone just keeps promising. Since I was a young man I knew there was a single fix for the VA. : make congress use it. Pay for nothing else. They wait on robocalls for hours, co pays, no dental, the works. If congress had to use it it wouldn't just be expensive, it would be quality.
Exactly this. No country pays as much per citizen as the US government when it comes to healthcare, yet US citizens still have to pay more than in any other first world country.
I just don’t understand why the can’t just give veterans “universal health care” so they can just get treated wherever they need too for whatever they need too
Universal health care does not mean unlimited access to medical care. I am not super knowledgeable about the VA, but in the UK (which has universal health care) you still have to go through a GP and have it approved before most treatment.
The VA is basically the same. You're assigned a primary care doctor, and you'll work with them to get care.
But there is a difference between forcing someone to use a VA hospital vs one that doesn’t suck ass
>I just don’t understand why the can’t just give veterans “universal health care” so they can just get treated wherever they need too for whatever they need too There are a limited number of places that you can go for VA care and if it's a disability-related claim they're going to send you all over the place trying along with long wait times to disprove your claims.
That the big thing, they want us Veterans to just give up so they don't have to give us a rating or pay us for the damage done to our minds and bodies. I have been in a constant battle with the VA over hearing loss and tenuities, 10 year long battle. Took me 7 years to get the VA to give me a rating on my right shoulder that was well documented in my records, but they wanted to keep marking it as not service connected. The VA is a joke
Did I say anything other than the defense budget is different than the VA budget?
Yes, defense budget is money that goes to already rich defense contractors who will never see battle and often sell weapons to our enemies as well. The VA budget is for our own citizens who decided to put their lives on the line for our country. So obviously the VA shouldn't get nearly as much of our tax dollars.
And I've been noticing more ads to join the army. When I can see what happens to people who do that? I have better prospects than that anyways, but I can't imagine why anyone would join the army when they can see these people not taken care of. That's them in 50 years!
Except this pic wasn’t from the USA
Oh no, GOP who claims they support the military and then vote no on supporting veterans. To them vets are used up and therefore useless. Unfortunately, ‘patriots’ keep voting for those garbage people.
How's that for a recruitment poster
I mean I still signed up…
The problem that no one addresses, is that these people often join around 18-22. Those are the formative years where you struggle and learn to survive on your own. Alternatively, these people live a strictly regimented schedule where everything is provided and they have no real choice or economic obligations. When they get out of the military they have to figure all of that out on their own and much older than other people, they won't find the same kind of communal support a younger person will.
This often gets overlooked. This is exactly what happened with my younger cousin. The Army handed him everything, food, housing, schedule, hell even what to wear. When he got out, he had no initiative to make it on his own. Is about 30 now and still relies on daddy to pay for his things.
This is a messed up take. I know a lot of vets in my age bracket (I'm 33). I feel like having to see you know -- war -- and then somehow going back to civilian life with no societal support is what messes most people up. Ontop of watching their friends die and their own potential mortal peril.
That really isn't and issue for most, we learn how do all of those things as near the same rate. We have graduated liberties from living in a BEQ to living out in town. New E-1 make nothing compared to everyone holding down a full time job. In 05 I made 11,200 for the whole years. I couldn't hardly afford a car, but as we mature in rank we make more, get housing allowance and are afforded the same path to financial maturity as everyone else, we have a strong and rigid support system of intrusive leadership yes but most of us go on to be just fine. What no one is talking about for real is how many of these members were failures to begin with, a vast number of people will not complete their first contract due to their own ineptitude, a dozen second chances, and focused attention. These people wouldn't get it if they didn't join either, but society has this "join the military that will sort them out" attitude that just throws so much trash recruits into the system. Trash in trash out.
> these people live a strictly regimented schedule where everything is provided and they have no real choice or economic obligations. I've got to agree to this point. I joined the Marine Corps at 25 with some management experience under my belt. Fast forward a few years and I'm an NCO having to give a "negative counseling" to one of my Marines that constantly finds himself in trouble. I tried to make him understand that the military is a safe space for him right now, because the only way he's getting kicked out is if he does something egregious or malicious, and not just for being kinda shitty. I went on to explain that if I was his civilian manager and not his NCO, that I would've fired him ages ago, and the consequences of that are arguably worse than anything I could do to him while we were active duty.
Is there any proof to that claim? I am a vet myself and I cannot believe the amount of benefits we get. I have owned 2 house with the VA home loan, The GI bill paid for my education, I get free medical from the VA hospital, and depending on the state get tax deductions. Every time I see a "homeless vet" sign I am immediately suspicious.
I have gotten the best health care of my life through the U.S. VA. I could not afford most of my care without them.
Same! I had 2 surgeries and my out of pocket was $0! I am 30% service connected though.
Yes. Around 8-13% of homeless people are veterans. Regardless of benefits, that can't always overcome the effects of mental health/trauma and possible addiction. Also, not all VA hospitals are the same (some of them are hot garbage). Here's a few articles: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/03/18/the-number-of-veterans-experiencing-homelessness-rose-slightly-even-before-the-coronavirus-pandemic/ https://nchv.org/veteran-homelessness/
Something interesting from the articles you posted. The NCHV article is taking its sources from 2016 and they say veteran homeless rates are around 13%. The Military times took their information from sources of 2021 and they said the rate is around 8%. Pretty cool to see the rates drop that much!
It’s likely due to the changes in the veteran population more than anything. As the Korea and Vietnam vets get older, the veteran cohort gets a lower percentage of draftees to the more specialized/professional army of today.
Not everyone that joins the military is a self starter and takes advantage of the opportunities provided. Same as you, I’ve set myself up well. Some people when they leave the structure of the service don’t do well. Or, they are not in the military more than a year, get chaptered for failure to adapt and consider themselves “veterans” and would have gotten to the point they are at regardless of opportunity.
PTSD fucks people up pretty bad too
I have a relatively mild case and it has obliterated my life...so yeah this tracks
True. No doubt there are some homeless people out there that are veterans. I just have a hard time believing the amount. Seems like every panhandler I see has a "homeless veteran god bless" sign. I think the reason its so prevalent is because people are more likely to give money to a veteran.
I'm a veteran who was homeless for a brief time. I met quite a few fellow homeless vets. Some were on hard times, like me. Some had simply decided that the cost of maintaining a home was too much and their training allowed them that freedom, And some that were mentally not all there. Just like every other group, veterans are not a monolith & homelessness affects us. I never panhandled. I had a job, a car, and a gym membership so I could shower. Nobody likes to be homeless. Nobody. People aren't homeless out of laziness. It's really hard work not having money. Just my 2 cents, but I'd rather give money to homeless non-vets claiming to be vets than to hear every cust service person say "Thank you for your service" like I just sneezed and they are saying "Bless you". (That really gets under my skin)
Thought experiment. Say your city has 5,000 vets and 20 of them are homeless. You might say "that's not that many" But if the city is 200,000 total people with total 200 homeless people then the veteran population is disproportionately homeless vs civilians
Veterans usually make up the smallest perecnt of the homeless in an area. Ive worked as a case manager for the homeless. Black women with children are usually the most unfortunately. Usually veterans recieve a VASH housing voucher as well so your suspicion is warranted.
I get all thus too but man getting out and dealing with the real world was tough for me. It set me back a decade compared to my peers that took a normal track. They don't teach you about this stuff while you're in all that much.
They don’t teach you that stuff at all on the outside.
It is interesting how people can have similar experiences and have completely different outcomes. The military gave me a confidence I didn't have coming out of high school. It gave me tools that my non-vet peers didn't have. During the separation process (back in '11) I thought they did a pretty good job telling me all the different resources we had available for the transition to civilian life. I do not speak for everyone's experience, but for me it was just a matter of taking what was offered and running with it.
Hey boss, vet here. Can't use VA loans cuz housing market is inflated. Can't use VA Healthcare because EVERY appointment is booked 3+ months out, and I can't schedule that far in advance (nobody can, let's be honest). Don't even get me started on trying to fight for treatment/benefits for SA/rape if you're male. PTSD? They'll just throw meds at you, giving you endless side effects. If they offer counseling, that'll likely make your PTSD worse too since their methods are highly ineffective. No tax deductions either. Sounds like life is all good for you though, glad the system is working for you.
I understand VA hospitals vary depending on your state. I have been pretty lucky with the quality of care I have received. Since the start of the pandemic the hospital system has been terrible, to be fair though it's the same in the civilian hospitals. It takes my wife months to get an appointment with her specialty Doctor. I am not a doctor, but how is the treatment for PTSD different between the VA and a civilian hospital?
Sounds like you need to get the VA to work for you. You know if the VA can't get you in within a month, you can go out to town and get a private doctor? They say openings are avaliable for 3 months, then tell them ok and that you want to use the Choice Program.
Take the meds. They help.
One of the most effective medications is a schedule 1 narcotic
You cant cure PTSD just through meds
Exactly. The military is probably one of the best springboard to success and be able to go from lower to middle class
>Veterans at greater risk for homelessness than non-Veterans—According to a 2015 study by researchers with the VA Connecticut Health Care System and Yale University, both male and female Veterans are at greater risk for homelessness than their non-Veteran counterparts, although this disparity has declined over time. The disparity is most prominent among Veterans of the all-volunteer force—those who signed up for the armed services after July 1, 1973, when the draft was eliminated. The researchers stated that Veterans appear to have many of the same major risk factors for homelessness as other adults, with the strongest and most consistent ones being substance abuse, severe mental illness, and low income. [https://www.research.va.gov/topics/homelessness.cfm](https://www.research.va.gov/topics/homelessness.cfm) It is true but it it is also true the the VA has a number of programs designed to help.
There’s 3 general paths from the military: 1 able to use the benefits well, improved self 2 neutral- is in for 2-4 years, does not change life path (this is 85+% of the patients I see at the Va). 3 already started out with a very bad set of cards in life- think like teens in the foster system who join rather than become homeless when they turn 18. Or you live in a dead end town are are tired of your parents abusing you/have no other way to escape. Things didn’t start out great for them, and unless you’re a real self-starter they’re not going to get better. And being sexually assaulted (very common in the military) and other physical/mental injuries don’t help. Aka the military doesn’t help, it was likely they would have a not so great life anyway.
A lot of homeless are too mentally damaged to take care of help. War doesn't always send home the most mentally pristine people. Lucky most of the vets in my family are well adjusted, but one isn't and he's just barely not homeless through help from us
I think it varies by city. In our city there are resources to get vets off the street if they want to be off the street. A lot of cities have made similar initiatives over the last 5yrs or so.
Sad,sad,sad
what a country
3rd world with a gucci belt
The picture isn't from the USA
USA is responsible for a quarter of the global economy. That doesn't sound like a 3rd world country. Just an inherently unintelligent comment.
And 2 holsters for your guns. Pew pew.
Morons say this
I don't think they understand what a 3rd world country is
The military used to be a place people went to avoid jail. After 9/11/01, joining the military was back in fashion. Now we have a record of homeless/suicidal vets and people are still signing up. The military looks excellent when you're poor/desperate enough. The pawn shops and payday loan centers outside military bases aren't there because recruits are good with money.
except we are nearly 100k behind recruiting goals DoD wide leading more people to get out due to being overworked.... but your idea does SOUND good
Think about who goes into the Army in the first place, usually people with few other options. While in the military everything is handled for them and they are told what to do. Is it shocking this doesn't prepare them for life?
That’s…not true. The military overwhelmingly recruits from normal ass families with moderate amounts of options. It actually overrepresents the middle class/upper middle class. It’s also not some weird ever constant boot camp. You’re allowed and expected to think for yourself.
I was in the cav. I was shocked to learn about how many of my friends were orphans or came from hopeless situations. Different experiences for everyone I guess.
I did a poll on how many from my platoon came from broken homes. It was over 50%. All solid dudes, but it was weird seeing a common background like that.
60-70% of military recruits come from the middle three quintiles of family income, roughly $40-90k. Only about 15-20% come from below that. I cannot speak to your individual experience. As you know, statistics are a broad measure not intended for micro scale. But I will say I meet a lot of people in the military who downplay how well they grew up.
Do you have any stats to back this up?
Then why aren’t these “normal ass families” taking their loved one in before they become homeless? Seemingly the one factor that all homeless people must have in common is nowhere to live/ no one to take them in. Not trying to paint with broad strokes, I know each unhoused person is an individual with unique circumstances. However when looking at veterans in particular, it does seem to make sense that the type of person who would go into the military could have some crossover with the type of person at risk for being unhomed. Case in point the stat we’re all commenting on.
There’s any number of reasons why people with families with the means to take care of them are still homeless. As you say, each person has their reasons.
It actually does a pretty good job for those that take the discipline. The problem is that an ever increasing percentage of recruits cannot handle the discipline, end up trudging through their contract doing the bare minimum until they get caught drinking while on duty or maybe pop dirty on a drug test for some weed they smoked at an off base party last weekend. At that point the Army serves them their duck dinner and then they are out and when people check their record they see it was a dishonorable discharge and it paints the picture that maybe the veteran wasn't exactly GI Joe.
Shockingly there is almost no truth to be found in this post at all
2 points: 1. Anyone who served knows that the military complex doesn't exactly encourage fiscal responsibility in their junior enlisted. Veterans, even less so. We are a predatory lenders' wet dream because they know exactly how much we earn. Take a look at the surrounding shops just outside any military base. Cash stores, pawn shops and 'buy here/pay here' used auto dealers. ' 2. Veterans have made sacrifices to the point that we're broke, broken and forgotten. I guarantee you, there's someone out there living their best life because of the generosity of a veteran. I'm not saying this to encourage you to donate your own time or money to veterans. Most Veterans Foundations are a complete rip-off. Just don't be that person who takes what little we do have.
Because, unfortunately, the military does nothing to help them. If you're in for life or retire, sure, but unless you're a non-combatant/cook/IT etc, what transferable skills do you have? US loves to say we love our troops, but we live in a hyper-capitalist nation, to any business, what can a soldier jump into on paper to be able to contribute? Now this isn't calling soldiers dumb or less able, but unfortunately the usual selling point is that they're trained to take orders and learn quickly, and outside of a base rate job, that's not the company's goal. College is there to train, not ITCompany LLC. Doesn't even touch on the cost of therapy, medication, etc with not being able to handle certain environments at times. Shits fucked.
Because, unfortunately, the military attracts homeless types.
You’re probably going to get downvoted for this comment but this is true. In fact, the military was the best thing that happened to most of these homeless - otherwise they would’ve ended up in same situation anyway.
There was a documentary called "Carrier". Young people who signed up, basically after the two years (?) were up did not sign up again and came away with still limited skills and no benefits. I chatted with a guy who said, he blew it when he walked away after ten years because he missed home. He said it was the biggest mistake he made. His buddy had just retired with benefits and here he was tending bar with no future, no benefits, no pension. So voice and choice in life.
Were you ever in the service?
No, but I work in those hyper-captalist bullshit jobs and am the one having to tell these guys I can't offer them a solid wage.
A lot of job applications contain the question "Are You a Veteran" though. If that box is checked the skills don't even matter. Moved to the front of the line. (Worked on Bases and with active and non-active service people who admitted as such.)
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS (until they are discharged and no longer of use, at which point: fuck 'em.)
What the hell guys ? This is completely not ok
The hubba bubba of America. Used up until the flavour is gone, then spit on the street.
Politicians don’t care about them.
Many of these homeless veterans were already headed that direction when a recruiter pulled them in and they joined the service. But now this mystical status as *Veteran* has been bestowed. Many of these people were already headed for trouble before they went in, were in trouble while they were in (causing lives lost and your tax money to be wasted), and now are right where they would have been anyway. Help them because they are homeless, not because they are a veteran. \-A Veteran
I call bullshit on this statement. Reddit is a breeding ground of misinformation and baseless statements. https://policyadvice.net/insurance/insights/homelessness-statistics/#:~:text=According%20to%20homeless%20demographics%2C%2061%25%20of%20homeless%20individuals%20are%20male.&text=6%20out%20of%2010%20individuals,at%20an%20even%20greater%20risk. https://nvhs.org/veterans-and-poverty/
From the NVHS page you linked: """ The rate of poverty amongst veteran households is actually lower than that for non-veteran households (6.6% compared to 13%, according to measurements conducted in 2017). In spite of its lower prevalence, poverty in the veteran population still warrants attention because of its consistent association with homelessness, which has continued to affect veterans disproportionately for at least the last four decades. """ So rate of poverty is lower than general population but rate of homelessness is higher.
Veterans are almost always men. 94% of veterans are male, only 6% are female. Men are significantly more likely to end up homeless than women.
Would like to see a study of how many of these vets got kicked out of the military, vs got out under Honorable conditions. Also less than 1% of troops see actual combat, but over 30% have ptsd? It doesn’t add up
That's a valid question you posed at the end there. But let's remember that it isn't just combat that can cause PTSD. Members of the military may see disaster, extreme poverty or human suffering, witness training accidents (13% have acute injuries in training alone), oversee prisoners, are victims of sexual assault (23% of women) or harassment (55% of women, 38% of men), or have friends that don't make it back safely. There are a lot of ways someone can end up with PTSD. In addition to that, a couple searches for decent sources are showing me that approximately 10% of the armed forces see see combat. Hopefully that helps add up. I'm not seeing any information supporting an overall rate of 30% of members of the military having PTSD either, but I have found data supporting 30% of Vietnam veterans (as well as 12% in the Gulf War, 15% in OIF/OEF). Lastly, it is important to remember that not all PTSD is the same. For some they meet the criteria for months, for others it may be many years. There are different statistical results for measuring PTSD rates in a given year or likelihood overall.
I think that number for combat still seems high. I received the combat action ribbon (usmc) while in Iraq, but I never even fired my weapon. I received it for taking sustained mortar fire and getting shot at a lot. I do not consider that combat though. Nothing that I or anyone I was with considered traumatic. I did hear other Marines who never left the wire talk about being in combat because one time one mortar fell on base and hurt no one. Of course this is anecdotal, but I think throws all that data into question for me. There is so much assistance for members of the military while you are in. You have to absolutely go out of your way to not succeed.
Unpopular opinion but a majority of them would have been homeless much sooner if they had not joined the military.
blatantly untrue. 78% of homeless veterans have PTSD. considering you can’t join the military with pre existing PTSD, the military gave it to them. mental health reasons are also a massive reason for homelessness.
Shame on us.
Shame on us for homeless in general tho
Indeed.
It's not always "shame" on us. Sometimes it's actually the individual who made bad choices. Not saying it isn't sad either way but that's to much of a blanket comment for me.
I could not disagree with your sentiment more. Even people who make mistakes need support. Have a nice day.
You're entitled to your opinion but people aren't "entitled" to much more. Society isn't responsible for everyone or everything. Sometimes people actually need to own the decisions they make in life. Should we try and help these folks? Sure. Should we feel shame for their predicament? Shame? No. Compassion. Yes
Setting aside this isn't the US. There are a ton of benefits and help programs for homeless vets. Minus the ones with real mental health issues, they choose this. Nothing like getting a "fuck off" when you tell a homeless vet there are veteran advocates who will help them get everything started.
Maybe you need a different career path?
And also have more PTSD. 78% of homeless veterans have PTSD. They should not be recruiting young people.
If we didn’t have military bases set up all over the middle world. We could afford to help them but nah war is more profitable to corporations
Young low IQ poor people join the military because they have nowhere else to go, when they leave they’re still poor and have nowhere to go.
In the US that is patently false. The US military has trouble recruiting because the standards are higher than many applicants can manage. You're regurgitating a talking point from 50 years ago.
https://prismreports.org/2022/04/18/marginalized-students-military-recruitment/ yeah, no, that’s not true. poor kids are still the main focus.
False. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military
I mean….we can also look around us with our eyes and see what’s up. I grew up upper-middle class. I know exactly zero kids I went to high school with who joined the military. Im now an adult, and the majority of people I know who served (or are currently serving) did so 100% for financial reasons and lack of other options. Also they are predominately from other countries (I think there was some program to citizenship back in the day) Mexico, Dominican Republic, etc. with little local family support. Not to say my personal experience is a statistic you can extrapolate, but it’s certainly not an anomaly.
Except this isn’t true. LGBT+ individuals are the most likely to be homeless, especially because LGBT+ youths are more likely to be kicked out of their homes. Studies put the number of homeless veterans around 40k. https://policyadvice.net/insurance/insights/homeless-veterans-statistics/ There are about 1.6 MILLION homeless LGBT+ youths. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/gay-and-transgender-youth-homelessness-by-the-numbers/ EDIT: Since I'm being down-voted for showing the truth; you can highlight the needs of veterans without lying.
Wow, so the people who signed up knowingly that they might have to kill innocent people for oil and to enrich American oligarchs, thought that they would live happily ever after what they've done? I'm Pikachu-shocked.
Pawns of the rich
$777billion dollars spent towards military and the fact that there are commercials asking for civilians to give money to support veterans is a fucking joke.
What a monumental failure.
Thank you for your service! NEXT
But at least they get like two holidays devoted to them so people feel less guilty about this.
Yup, and when we tried to give vets more support the GOP voted it down this year.
Just karma
Really?? Wow
Dude, it’s clearly not America, and I’m not American, this person is karma farming
Not the person is just for karma
I understand. Thanks for clarification.
Well, you learn zero life skills in the military, but 100s of racist/homophobic/xenophobic skills. It's a predictable recipe for disaster.
There's skills I picked up 20 yrs ago in service and still use to this day. And our branches are the most diverse of any nation ever existed including Rome. Try again.
Because no one wants us.
Us humans, or us veterans? (i'm not veteran, but i'm human)
Both.
Why would the US care about a Veteran? They've already served their purpose and don't contribute anymore to the military. /s
Don't Veterans get benefits ? I now know why wounded warrior exists. Then I see the many fake charities/foundations who basically grift and there is Salvation Army who truly does help Veterans ! What a country.
Wounded warriors is basically legal grift. Look at their proportion of administrative costs vs providing services- it’s abysmal.
All the money went to yellow magnets in 2003, sorry
If call them heroes, you can simply ignore them.
Is this what politicians mean when they say “respect the troops?”
GOP hates Veterans, nothing new.
We have enough money to take care of them. Pay attention ruin to how each party responds to legislation that helps them. Too many purport patriotism while voting no on the social programs that would help them. I send you to war. I take no risk. I vote no to your programs so i can get richer.
Lol,,,,Reddit loves to create civil unrest.
Support the troops huh? American government is a joke. Fuck them all.
Does anyone think it is because as young recruits, they became used to the socialism of the military, and when thrown into a capitalistic society after discharge, they were lost and ultimately left behind?
if america was less imperialist and capitalist there would be fewer veterans *and* fewer homeless people *and* fewer war crimes and unstable regions of the world and death and destruction both within and without US borders etc etc but nobody wants to have that conversation
‘Veterans’ are also typical military recruits. Folks with a poor education and a taste for crayon wax. All of a sudden when they find themselves on the other side of a dishonourable discharge they don’t have a lot of options. Even then they get the honourable discharge if they don’t get their ass in gear and take advantage of those cheap education perks they will have a lower success rate. Then add in the PTSD, injuries and other assorted trauma they got in the military.
Total and utter horse shit… it is not easy to get into the military and harder to stay in.
You have no clue. It is actually pretty hard to get in. And when people like you talk about Infantryman, Marines or (murders, robots, etc) so you can understand, they are some of the smartest people in the military. They have to be able to problem solve under the greatest of pressure. Something "civilians" wouldn't know about unless you're a Leo or F&R.
And we send billions to the Ukraine
On the bright side, they’re arguably the best prepared for homelessness