135 veterans’ families with housing crises sought help from the VA in Connecticut in 2011

VA sees spike in homeless veterans with families
Published: Tuesday, February 07, 2012
By Peggy McCarthy
Conn. Health I-Team Writer

Andy and Miriam Miranda don’t fit the historical profile of homeless veterans. Former teachers with master’s degrees who have a six-year-old son, they have lost a house to foreclosure and were evicted from an apartment for falling behind on rent.

Last year, the family spent six months living in a New Haven homeless shelter. They now reside in a West Haven rental, thanks to a federal subsidy program for homeless veterans.

“I need a parachute so I don’t crash,” said Andy, 51, who was in the Air Force from 1979 to 1983.

Homeless veterans have long been predominately single males, typically Vietnam War vets with mental health or substance abuse problems. Now, a growing number of veterans with spouses and young children, many returning from deployments in the Middle East, are changing the face of homeless veterans in Connecticut and across the country.

“Whether the communities of Connecticut are prepared for them is another question,” said Linda S. Schwartz, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2011, a record 135 veterans’ families with housing crises sought help from the VA in Connecticut, said Preston Maynard, director of homeless programs in Connecticut. Only 15 families appealed for help just three years ago, he said. “We’re seeing more and more. It’s sad,” Maynard said.
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