Discussion

“The number of military families experiencing homelessness is a hidden problem, and the scale of the issue is not fully understood, a senior nurse has said.” (Jones-Berry, 2017, p.10).

“More than half-a-million Americans are currently homeless, and many of them are military veterans. As thousands of US troops make their way home from Afghanistan and Iraq in the next couple of years, that number could increase.” (Wise, 2017).

“Veterans are all too familiar with the difficulties that come after leaving the military. They often fight invisible enemies of addiction, post-traumatic stress, and financial hardships.” (Wise, 2017).

“Statistics show that vets make up 17% of our country’s [the US] homeless population. In 2010, numbers reached as high as 76,000 on the streets.” (Wise, 2017).

While today’s estimates are closer to 40,000, there could be a major increase as thousands of troops prepare to leave Iraq and Afghanistan.

References

Jones-Berry, S. (2017) Military Families are a ‘Hidden Homeless Group’. Nursing Standard. 31(31), pp.10. http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/ns.31.31.10.s8

Wise, T. (2017) The Hidden Homeless: Military Families Who Fall on Tough Times. Available from World Wide Web: http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/february/the-hidden-homeless-military-families-who-fall-on-tough-times. [Accessed: 16 May, 2017].

Mares, A.S. & Rosenheck, R.A. (2004) Perceived relationship between military service and homelessness among homeless veterans with mental illness. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 192(10), pp.715-719.