Maine's Veterans Fight Another Battle: Homelessness

Maine's Veterans Fight Another Battle: Homelessness
10/21/2011 Reported By: Susan Sharon
Of the growing numbers of homeless people in the U.S., veterans are likely to be found in the statistics. An annual survey by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2009 found veterans make up about 12 percent of the population. Put another way, one of every 168 veterans is homeless. In Maine the number stands at close to 1,000 on any given night. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, other mental health issues, substance abuse and unemployment are among the many risk factors. In the second of a two-part report, Susan Sharon visits a transitional shelter in Saco and looks at what the federal government and others are doing to help.

For nearly a year, 10 veterans have listed the Arthur Huot house in Saco as their permanent address.

"This floor is basically equipped for people with wheelchairs. This, we got a grant from the Major League Baseball Players Trust. They donated $20,000 for exercise equipment," says Glenn Michaels, the director of marketing and public relations for the Volunteers of America New England, the organization that oversees homeless veterans programs in both Biddeford and Saco.
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