Senator: 131,000 homeless vets a 'disgrace'

[DearAbby]

Washington (CNN) - Americans from coast to coast are getting ready to enjoy the annual Veterans Day holiday this week.

For thousands of homeless men and women who once served in the armed forces, however, the day is merely another reminder of "the thin line that exists between survival and despair," one U.S. senator said Tuesday.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey noted at a Senate subcommittee hearing on the subject.

"Veterans' homelessness is a national disgrace," he said.

"American heroes (are) huddled over a heating grate in the shadow of the Washington Monument, or curled up on a bench by the war memorials on the Mall in Washington, or trying to find shelter in cities across America."

The VA has concluded that 260,000 veterans are homeless over the course of a typical year, he added. An estimated one in four homeless men or women served in the military.

The increasing number of servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, combined with the economic downturn, Menendez noted, has contributed to a recent spike in the number of homeless families with veterans.

"The federal government ... is not doing nearly enough when so many new veterans are falling through the cracks," he said. "The current system of dealing with their needs is being overwhelmed."

more at link:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/10/senator-131000-homeless-vets-a-disgrace/

[MrScorpio]

1. They should all move to Oklahoma...

Maybe Tom Coburn would get the message.

[JVS]

2. Maybe they should be mandated to buy houses or face stiff punative excise taxes.

I hear that's how to solve problems.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Maybe we could eliminate poverty by taxing it.

A good, stiff tax so the deadbeats can't afford the luxury of being indigent.

[YOY]

3. No offense to vets but "the richest country in the world" having any homeless at all is a 'disgrace'

n/t

[DearAbby]

5. I agree