Serving Those Who Served Our Country
Since World War II, Volunteers of America has been a leader in providing shelter and other help to homeless veterans. Those needs are greater now than ever before. The growing ranks of homeless veterans reflect the changing face of the military, including a rapidly growing new group — women.
For too long, our society has ignored the needs of women veterans returning home from the military. Unfortunately, many of these women end up homeless. Women account for 12 percent of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, far more than in any past conflict. As of last year, there were approximately 8,000 homeless women veterans; that number is expected to increase as more women return home. At Volunteers of America, we know all too well that homeless women face issues their male counterparts do not, including domestic violence and sexual assault. In addition, many of these women are mothers whose children are deeply affected by their homelessness and require services of their own.
Homeless veterans programs historically have focused on men and have frequently failed to address the unique needs of women, including the fact that they are more frequently accompanied by their children. Many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms resulting from assault and harassment by their male comrades, which in the past has made turning to the male-dominated Veterans Administration feel much like entering the lion’s den in search of help.
Volunteers of America has made it a top priority to collaborate with legislators and other social service providers to address this national disgrace. We’ve established programs across the country to help homeless veterans get back on their feet and we’ve worked with Congress to secure funding to make sure our nation’s heroes are not forgotten.
The time to act is now. We must make the plight of homeless veterans a top priority, and wake up to the unique and growing needs of women, mothers and daughters leaving the military today.