A campaign is made up of many different issues. Some issues are hot points for people more than other issues. My biggest hot point is the treatment of veterans. As the daughter of a World War II veteran and the sister of a Vietnam veteran this is my issue.
According to Veterans Services:
According to a December 2011 survey, 67,495 veterans are homeless on any given night and twice as many experience homelessness during a year. Right now, the number of homeless Vietnam-era veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war. Already, veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are appearing among the homeless population.
The demographics for veteran homelessness are as follows.
“The Forgotten Americans – Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve,” released Dec. 8, 1999, by the Interagency Council on the Homeless. Data is from the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC).
• 23% of the homeless population are veterans
• 33% of homeless men are veterans
• Only 9% of the total U.S. population are veterans (2000 U.S. Census)
• 47% served during the Vietnam era
• 17% served in the post-Vietnam era
• 15% served prior to the Vietnam era
• 67% served for 3 years or longer
• 33% were stationed in a war zone
• 25% have used VA Homeless Services
• 85% completed high school/GED, compared to 56% of non-veterans
• 89% received honorable discharges
• 79% reside in urban centers
• 16% reside in suburban areas
• 5% reside in rural areas
• 76% experience alcohol, drug, or mental health problems
• 46% are white males, compared to 34% of non-veterans
• 46% are age 45 or older, compared to 20% of non-veterans
I live in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Recently
Veterans Helping Veterans Heal opened a 30 bed place for homeless veterans. That is a start but still is only a drop in the bucket towards solving the problem.
In President Obama’s 2013 budget proposal the Veteran’s Administration would get a boost of 10.5%. One of the biggest increases is in the discretionary spending with the goal of reducing homelessness. You can read more about the budget here.
According to the Obama campaign fact check site Romney/Ryan would cut the budget for the Veteran’s Administration by 11%. They want to privatize veteran’s healthcare.
We send our men and women into danger. Many lose their lives. Many have their lives destroyed. I have met veterans in my home town who are homeless. These are men and women who received honorable discharges. If we have one veteran who is homeless that is too many. We owe these men and women to transition to a civilian life that properly thanks them for their service.
We need to strongly push the fact that Obama is trying to help our veterans while they are not on Romney’s laundry list. This is my hot button issue and I hope you will help me push it. I owe it to my father and brother both of whom lie in the Veteran’s cemetery. They can no longer fight. I will fight for them.