Veterans

Updated October 6th, 2006

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than a half million veterans experience homelessness each year. On any given night, nearly 300,000 veterans are homeless.

Most of these veterans are males, 67 percent of them were enlisted for at least three years, and 33 percent of them were stationed in a combat zone. The vast majority are single, most come from under-served communities, 45 percent suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems.

In addition to the complex set of factors affecting all people who are experiencing homelessness–including an extreme shortage of affordable housing, limited opportunities for a livable-wage income, and access to health care–a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse, compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.

Links for Further Research

Further information on the impact of homelessness on veterans can be found at:

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