Veteran Services
Click here for Veteran Testimonials from the HELP Heroes Book.
While the causes are many, the singular reality is staggering: 1 out of every 3 homeless men you see on the street is a veteran.
The U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs estimates that as many as 195,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
The New York Times has reported that there are more than 400 homeless veterans as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Of the 400,000 U.S. veterans that have experienced homelessness at some point this year,
the VA reaches only 25%.
HELP USA aims to be part of the solution for the many left out in the cold.
Approximately 30 percent of homeless men in the United States are veterans. A significant percent come from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. Many suffer from additional barriers to independent living, such as physical disabilities, mental illness, substance abuse, and alcoholism.
In Las Vegas, HELP USA operates three housing complexes that serve primarily homeless veterans. In 1999, HELP USA opened its first housing unit in the city, St. Vincent HELP. This 120-unit transitional housing complex for homeless adults with special needs was developed at the invitation of the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, and is operated in partnership with Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. Services include case management, employment, and support services.
In response to the growing number of homeless veterans, HELP USA has also launched HELP Operation Home, a three-year national expansion of permanent supportive service housing to help returning war veterans transition back from war and rebuild their futures. With the anticipated return of over 140,000 service men and women from Iraq and Afghanistan, HELP is developing upwards of 1,000 units of permanent housing for male and female war veterans and their families over the next three years. This initiative will expand HELP's current programs across the nation where veterans receive state of the art living accommodations in addition to a nationally-recognized comprehensive package of on-site support services, including job training and placement, educational, and medical services.
Currently, one in three homeless men is a veteran of war, with approximately 131,000 homeless male veterans sleeping on the street each night. This staggering statistic is compounded by the increase in women serving in recent wars and thus a corresponding increase in the domestic homeless female veteran population as well. To date, an estimated 8,000 female veterans are homeless in the United States and this statistic will grow as more and more women return from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. HELP USA is committed to helping these returning war veterans rebuild their futures.
HELP has been designated as the developer to build housing for homeless veterans in Washington, D.C. by a consortium of foundations that are funding this veterans' housing initiative in downtown D.C. Additionally, HELP is in development with 75 units for veterans housing in Philadelphia.
Veterans & Homelessness
U.S. Facts and Figures
- On Capitol Hill, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is responsible for representing and managing veterans' particular needs. In the Cabinet, the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs manages benefit programs for veterans and their families.
- The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, PL345, better known as the G.I. Bill, provided World War II veterans with funds for higher education, unemployment compensation, and loans to purchase homes or start businesses.
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a much-revered veteran himself, proclaimed November 11, 1954 as the first Veterans' Day in the United States. From 1919 to 1954, November 11 was observed as Armistice Day, chosen as the anniversary of the 1918 armistice ending World War I and primarily honoring veterans of said war.
- Since 2000, the Library of Congress has archived veterans' wartime stories through the Veterans' History Project. By a unanimous vote, the U.S. Congress established the Project, which relies completely on individual volunteers to collect veterans' stories and personal materials.
- The New York Times has reported that over 400 veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have ended up homeless. Although veterans make up 11 percent of the adult population, they comprise 26 percent of the nation's homeless population. Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, the stress of long tours in brutal conditions, and (especially for female veterans) sexual abuse have been cited as major factors leading veterans to homelessness.
- The Nobel Peace Prize-winning group Physicians for Social Responsibility predicts that health care costs for Iraq veterans could reach $650 billion or greater.
- The U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs estimates that as many as 195,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
