WHY SHOULD A VETERAN BE HOMELESS – IT MAKES NO SENSE by Dianna Tafazoli
Let’s try to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, connect the dots or just make some sense out of the notion that a Veteran is homeless. It might help to define Veteran. Webster defines the word as “One with a long record of service in a particular activity or capacity. One who has been in the armed forces.” That seems a very plausible definition and one easily identified with. Veterans are men and women who have served in some branch of the military. They leave their families and friends for the love of country and commitment to protect its borders from invasions and those who would do harm to the country and its citizens.
That is a huge endeavor and a debt of gratitude is owed to these brave men and women from their country. If this is the case and a premise that makes sense then how can there be such a thing as a homeless Veteran? The reality is that there are homeless Veterans and that reality makes no sense. You go away and serve your country and you come back to your country and find yourself homeless and jobless in the country you have served. The dots don’t connect. The pieces do not fit into the puzzle.
I live in the Washington Metropolitan area and I drive through areas where there are so many boarded up structures that have been that way for more than a few years. Is it that there are no vacancies available in traditional apartments or no houses to rent or even buy? If the occupancy rate is 100% full at all current addresses, then why not fix up the boarded- up buildings observed all over the Metro area? That approach could achieve a number of things – (1) decrease blight preventing neighborhood decay; (2) create homes for homeless veterans; (3) create jobs for those Veterans who are able to work by helping to construct and revamp their own potential living quarters; (4) provide revenue for the city by charging a small amount of rent based on the Veteran’s income in lieu of just accumulating more vacant properties; and (5) begin the long road to eliminating homelessness for Veterans.
The VA understands also that Veterans being homeless does not make sense. Therefore, the VA has joined forces with communities and non-profits to create partnerships that serve the needs of homeless Veterans. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the USA, along with the VA have committed in total $20.8 million dollars to address the homeless issue for Veterans, $4 million and $12.8 million dollars respectively. The VA is also partnering with other community organizations to provide job training and other services important to empowering Veterans. Whether a Veteran has a job or money should not deter his or her ability and right to have a suitable roof over their head. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Dianna Tafazoli
