If there is ever a perfect example of a what a homeless person is, it is always the image of a roughed up man who is a veteran.

Many people think of homelessness as the result of a personal failure, either you’re lazy or stupid. (In fact in my own personal life and to this day, I have accusations thrown at me and people wondering why I did not do more.) However, in total opposite we see people who are service men and women as heroes, selfless and loyal to their nation. There are appeals and celebrations and we see this everyday. So what happens when the most respected people in society become the most looked down upon. In America the National Alliance to End Homelessness and other sources say that:

• 35 out of every 10,000 veterans are homeless
• 76,000 veterans are homeless on any given night in the United States
• 145,000 veterans use homeless housing programs every year

In the U.K and other European nations the figures do not seem to be high though there are homeless ex service personnel. 100,000 Homes did a survey on homeless veterans, the document is here, its a great tool to read: What they found was that 15% of the homeless population are veterans and that they tend to be homeless for longer periods of time. experiencing chronic homelessness. So what does this all lead to? Why are there so many homeless veterans? My answer is simple and I’m sure many have answered it far more eloquently and with greater depth and detail, my theory is this: Military personnel may struggle to transfer their skills to gain employment opportunities and they may also struggle to adjust to civilian life. As everyone knows war is horrible and soldiers have to see and experience things we are only lucky to never get to see. And this leads to PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If left untreated and ignored like it sadly seems to be, it can lead to depression, anxiety and mental problems. And drugs and alcohol seems to be the only way some people know how to escape it. The “wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq are coming to an end and so a new generation of veterans will come home. It is up to organisations, governments, charities and families to not let this happen again. Treat the problems, build more housing, offer counselling, talk to somebody. These are all things that matter, so that in 20 or 30 years we won’t have to have campaigns to end homelessness by a certain date that never gets met, but make it that homelessness becomes a non-issue.