The 121,000 Missing Veteran Cover Up

83.The 121,000 Missing Veteran Cover Up
November 29, 2007 by wanderingvet

In 2004 the Veterans Administration dramatically reduced the number of homeless veterans it was counting from 313,000 to a lowly 194,000 in a report in front of then Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee Congressman Steve Buyer just said “OK”.
In article 79. I showed that the VA currently has over 144,000 beds for homeless veterans available that are ALL FULL with none available and yet the streets are over flowing with homeless veterans still. Why would this be? Could it be there are more homeless veterans than the Veterans Administration is willing or wanting to report?
It should also be known, that the number of homeless veterans has not changed since 2005 either. I guess the VA has just quit counting or just really does not want to know. I have volunteered to be counted and made sure personally that my VA records denote that I am homeless so the records should at least be showing now 194,001.
When it comes to homeless veterans we have allowed this issue to go too far for far too many years. This issue has been out there since the 1970’s. It was not until 1987 that the VA instituted a program for Homeless Veterans. In 2004 the number was 313,000 veterans. The number was climbing higher for Homeless Veterans and not dropping! The Program was failing! The number was lowered because Congress told the VA to lower that number by 2009 (in other words get it together over there). So what did the VA do? They lowered it on paper by typing in a new lower number. And then justified it by saying that the number was from HUD. I wonder why some congressional staffer never checked that number because it does not exist at all over at HUD. I wished life was just that easy. Oh by the way I guess a few VA careers were saved too! How did we get so lucky.
click above for the rest

This is from last year

9-20-06 updated.
I don't know when the figures changed by here they are from the Coalition site.
If you are not truly appalled you have not been paying attention.

NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS
VETERANS
STATE FUNDED HOMELESS
BEDS VETERANS

AK 0,,, 450
AL 42,,, 816
AR 40,,, 1,350
AZ 199,,, 3,637
CA 1,875,,, 49,546
CO 102,,, 3,895
CT 103,,, 4,675
DC 43,,, 2400
DE 15,,, 500
FL 430,,, 19,394
GA 165,,, 5,715
HI 118,,, 800
IA 56,,, 615
ID 10,,,350
IL 158,,, 19,943
IN 136,,, 2,243
KS 47,,, 620
KY 115,,, 963
LA 150 10,897
MA 378,,, 1,680
MD 241,,, 3,100
ME 0,,, 1,136
MI 17,,, 247
MN 23,,, 493
MO 82,,, 4,800
MS 60,,, 1,136
MT 17,,, 247
NC 182,,, 1,601
ND 0,,, 1,000
NE 12,,, 460
NH 36,,, 350
NJ 142,,, 6,500
NM 30,,, 902
NV 201,,, 4,600
NY 274,,, 12,700
OH 261,,, 1,898
OK 27,,, 770
OR 159,,, 6,940
PA 332,,, 2,691
RI 23,,, 175
SC 110,,, 1,375
SD 42,,, 165
TN 241,,, 2,500
TX 233,,, 15,424
UT 145,,, 585
VA 86,,, 911
VT 10,,, 20
WA 167,,, 6,567
WI 209,,, 915
WV 41,,, 357
WY 31,,, 111
PR 0,,, 75

7,688 194,254
(2006)


Doesn’t the Department of Veterans
Affairs take
care of homeless veterans?

To a certain degree, yes. According to the VA,
in the years since it "began responding to the
special needs of homeless veterans, its homeless
treatment and assistance network has developed
into the nation’s largest provider of homeless
services, serving more than 100,000 veterans
annually."

With an estimated 500,000 veterans homeless at
some time during the year, the VA reaches 20%
of those in need ... leaving 400,000 veterans
without supportive services.

Since 1987, VA’s programs for homeless veterans
have emphasized collaboration with community
service providers to help expand services to
more homeless veterans. For more information
about VA homeless veteran programs, go to
www.va.gov/homeless/.

What services do veterans need?

Veterans need a coordinated effort that provides
secure housing and nutritional meals; essential
physical health care, substance abuse aftercare
and mental health counseling; and personal
development and empowerment.
Veterans also need job assessment, training
and placement assistance.

NCHV strongly believes that all programs to
assist homeless veterans must focus on helping
veterans reach the point where they can obtain
and sustain employment.

What seems to work best?

The most effective programs for homeless and
at-risk veterans are community-based, nonprofit,
"veterans helping veterans" groups.
Programs that seem to work best feature
transitional housing with the camaraderie of
living in structured, substance-free environments
with fellow veterans who are succeeding at
bettering themselves. Because government money
for homeless veterans is currently limited and
serves only one in 10 of those in need, it is
critical that community groups reach out to help
provide the support, resources and opportunities
most Americans take for granted: housing,
employment and health care.

There are about 200 community-based veteran
organizations across the country that have
demonstrated impressive success reaching
homeless veterans. These groups are most
successful when they work in collaboration
with Federal, State, and local government
agencies, other homeless providers, and
veteran service organizations. Veterans who
participate in these programs have a higher
chance of becoming tax-paying, productive
citizens again.

What can you do?

Determine the need in your community.
Visit with homeless veteran providers.
Contact your local mayor’s office for a list
of providers.
Involve others. If you are not already part
of an organization, pull together a few people
who might be interested in attacking this issue.
Participate in local homeless coalitions.
Chances are there is one in your community.
If not, this may be the time to start bringing
people together around this critical need.
Send a financial donation to your local homeless
veteran provider.
Contact your elected officials, and discuss
what is being done in your community for homeless veterans.


http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm

But this proves what he is saying
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS
VETERANS
STATE FUNDED HOMELESS
BEDS VETERANS

AK 7,,, 350
AL 27,,, 5,275
AR 80,,, 4,389
AZ 219,,, 6,190
CA 2,713,,, 49,250
CO 72,,, 3,457
CT 137,,,2,900
DC 175,,, 9,403
DE 15,,, 600
FL 492,,, 19,231
GA 81,,, 9,852
HI 118,,, 3,000
IA 17,,, 1,600
ID 10,,, 400
IL 158,,, 19,943
IN 138,,, 1,600
KS 27,,, 1,259
KY 153,,, 2,100
LA 186,,, 4,620
MA 477,,, 2,700
MD 126,,, 2,800
ME 3,,, 1,000
MI 69,,, 5,171
MN 42,,, 1,961
MO 96,,, 13,549
MS 40,,,1,400
MT 17,,, 320
NC 247,,, 6,805
ND 48,,, 1,100
NE 12,,, 560
NH 72,,, 437
NJ 193,,, 8,300
NM 26,,, 3,600
NV 219,,, 5,500
NY 354,,, 44,700
OH 258,,, 9,697
OK 42,,, 1,750
OR 143,,, 8,450
PA 206,,, 10,166
RI 23,,,400
SC 50,,,,850
SD 16,,, 430
TN 230,,, 2,972
TX 256,,, 19,640
UT 114,,, 575
VA 98,,, 2,450
VT 10,,, 1,200
WA 167,,, 6,850
WI 209,,, 1,132
WV 52,,, 531
WY 31,,, 1,175
PR 0,,, 50
total 8771 316640

http://hometown.aol.com/namguardianangel/KathieCostosindex.html
This was from 12-13-04

It is a page I used to use on AOL. Haven't been doing much with it since I created the Namguardianangel.org web page. When you think that over 100,000 veterans left the street in two years, that would have been plastered all over the news. The other thought is that while a lot of our homeless veterans died, un-noticed, it is not feasible.

Considering what happened to the people after Katrina hit, I really doubt this government managed to find housing for that many veterans. There are still too many left homeless in the states hit by Katrina's winds and flood. kc