Veterans Make Up 1 in 4 Homeless in US
By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer
11 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.
And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.
The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars and says 400 of them have participated in its programs specifically targeting homelessness.
The Alliance to End Homelessness, a public education nonprofit, based the findings of its report on numbers from Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau. 2005 data estimated that 194,254 homeless people out of 744,313 on any given night were veterans.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071108/ap_on_re_us/homeless_veterans_2 Vietnam veteran Lonnie Bowen Jr. smokes a cigarette outside the The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Vietnam veteran Lonnie Bowen Jr., left, and Mark Salvatore, a homeless outreach nurse with the Veterans Administration embrace outside The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Homeless Vietnam veteran William Joyce is taken into the The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center by Mark Salvatore, a homeless outreach nurse with the Veterans Administration in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Mark Salvatore, left, a homeless outreach nurse with the Veterans Administration talks with homeless Vietnam veteran William Joyce in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A new report scheduled to be released Thursday shows nearly a half-million veterans were homeless last year.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)