Alex Page #1

The increase of homeless veterans with PTSD

On the verge of becoming the next homeless veteran victim

Alex Leon

12fh ELA Elective

Mr. Janosch

11/30/18
 Alex Page #2

Homeless veterans with mental issues

As veterans who fought in wars from back in the 19th century till now we are seeing an

increase of homeless people in american streets that face poverty everyday and get no help.

Believe it or not, most of these homeless people are veterans who fought for our country. It’s

unbelievable to imagine how our war veterans are living on the streets. Now, one question you

might have in mind is why are they not being taken care of or why isn’t anyone doing anything

to find these homeless veterans a shelter to live in? Many veterans risk their lives to protect their

country and many pray to make it back home alive because they’re terrified of the things they’ve

seen. Many of these homeless veterans are ashamed to seek help because of their mental illness

that makes them believe that they will not get the help and support they need because of their

illness and that’s not true. Veterans with PTSD have issues communicating because of the

trauma they still have and keep it to themselves rather than tell someone because they feel that

they will be seen as a weakness.

PTSD can be a serious mental issue that veterans can face while on the verge of becoming

homeless. This is a serious case for many homeless people because they’re on the streets starving

for food and a shelter. Mostly all homeless veterans are male but the rise of women with mental

health issues that are becoming homeless are on the rise. The number of homeless female

veterans is on the rise while there were 150 female veterans affected by PTSD living in

American streets increased to 1,700 female veterans in American streets. As many female

veterans and male veterans are becoming homeless this is impacting the society in many

different ways such as people’s views on helping military veteran and political views towards the

government. PTSD can trigger a person’s fight or flight response by reacting towards stuff in a
 Alex Page #3

total different way in which it can impact in a negative way. “A study published in

Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research found that

two-thirds of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD, which is significantly higher

than homeless veterans who served in previous wars” (Morin). This is upsetting to see how

veterans are not being taken care of even with their struggle with PTSD as they experienced

those traumatic events in those wars.

As veterans seek to get help the VA hospital has been taking in homeless veterans for a

shelter to live in. Ernest parish who was an army navy soldier fought in the Vietnam war. He was

a homeless veteran suffering with PTSD because of the things he saw that affected his mental

state. He suffered from PTSD back at the war where he was to pick up his fellow brothers that

have died in the war and put them in body bags. Now, just imagine picking up your Friend that

you were always close to and putting him in a body bag, how would you feel. Many memories

ran into Ernest as he saw blood all over people and touching their dead bodies. This led to Ernest

suffering from an alcohol problem that led him to becoming homeless and living on the streets

and losing his family. As he got help from the department of VA he says that “I have come a

long way," Mr. Parrish said. "I was slowly committing suicide" (Miller). When you hear the

word suicide in your head you’re like why would they commit suicide? Well let’s just step in

their shoes, you have no family, no shelter, no one that can relate to your situation, hungry.

They’re already living a bad life and they’ve lost more than they’ve could. So in their state of

mind they have lost everything so if they lost their life by committing suicide it wouldn’t matter

to them because they have nothing else to live for.

In America there are about 40,000 or more homeless veterans that live on the street. Since

most of them are males most of them are single as well. “A 2015 study of veterans initiating
 Alex Page #4

medication-administered treatment screened each of these patients for risk of homelessness and

found that the prevalence of homelessness in veterans with opioid use disorder is 10 times more

than the general veteran population” according to research of the “National Alliance to end

homeless”. Therefore veterans who live on the street seek for help as their use of opioid use

increases. Opioids are narcotics used for pain relief. Since these veterans can’t get help they help

themselves by taking opioids. Now this is very dangerous as using this all the time can cause

death. There’s been a study from the New York Times that veterans taking painkillers are at

special risk. Doctors that prescribe these painkillers to veterans often give it to the them because

of the pain they’re going through. Some of these Doctors who are prescribing these painkillers

are not noticing how veterans with PTSD are not only making them feel a bit better but it’s also

worsening the way they react to things and how they’re using it. Many people use opioids to help

them feel better as others use it to overdose. One example that Doctors are not following

guidelines as to opioid therapy use for veterans is “That is where the work needs to be done, in

implementing policies and guidelines that are already there'' (Doa). The department of veteran

affairs are enforcing the rules of opioid use and how veterans need to be watch as they use these

painkillers. Is there other ways besides giving out opioids to veterans? Yes there is, instead of

opioid use, veterans could do therapies that enhance themselves to become better and to live a

better life then they use to.

Going back a few years ago when veterans did not get the help they need because programs

were not created back them for veteran who fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan war many

veterans are thankful that programs such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and programs for

veteran housing are going on because many veteran are getting the help they need to survive. A

veteran with PTSD usually can’t pay rent themselves because they’re homeless and don’t have a
 Alex Page #5

Vivian job because they couldn’t fit in to the civilian world or that they’ve been fired from a job.

Now programs like these help veterans to seek housing and food so poverty between veterans

can decrease. While the VA tried to find help for homeless veterans not all of them are being

help because there’s a very large number of them.

Besides veterans being helped there’s should be people part of organization trying to find

those veterans that are homeless outside on the streets everyday so they don’t suffer from PTSD,

poverty, or drug overdosing. Drug overdosing has been producing large amounts of people dying

everyday and people should be doing something about it like not prescribing them to veterans.

One horrific problem that the U.S. is having is homeless veteran are more likely to commit

crimes like shortings or robberies l. Why is that? This is because if veteran don’t get the help

they need at the mental state their at, they are more likely of not thinking before committing their

actions. A former airman from the Armed forces was one of many veterans who were homeless.

He brutally beat his wife and toddler step son. He had a criminal background of domestic

violence and he was able to purchase weapons even though he was not mentally stable which led

him to a killing massacre that led him to murdering 26 people at a church in Texas. These were

the actions that led him from having PTSD from going to prison. Nobody had never notified

anyone that he had a criminal background and he shouldn’t have been around weapons because

of his behavior. These are some of the problem that the U.S. is facing because there isn’t much

helping of getting veterans help. But as of now there’s more help for veterans being treated for

PTSD so that there’s no cases of massacres from homeless veterans.

In conclusion homeless veterans were once civilian people with good hearts and good lives

they lived with their family as their sacrifice to fight for this country for freedom. As homes

veterans seek for help they are an asset to the community as the contributions they served. As
 Alex Page #6

they say once a brother, always a brother which means once you’re part of an organization that is

bigger than yourself such as being a soldier you should always be taken care of. Veteran with

PTSD should always be treated like any other human does and shouldn’t be viewed less than any

other because they have done something to sacrifice in the place they are at now.

References

“Veteran Homelessness Facts.” Homelessness Facts & Statistics - National | Green Doors,
www.greendoors.org/facts/veteran-homelessness.php

https://www.verywellmind.com/homeless-veterans-living-with-ptsd-4164824

Miller, Julie. "State Reaches Out to Homeless Veterans." New York Times, 26 Sept. 1993.
SPN.SP01,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A174684709/SPN.SP01?u=nysl_me_73_shb&sid=SP
 Alex Page #7

N.SP01&xid=1e05424f

Dao, James. "Some Veterans On Painkillers At Special Risk, A Study Finds." New York Times,
8 Mar. 2012, p. A12(L). SPN.SP01,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A282386164/SPN.SP01?u=nysl_me_73_shb&sid=SP
N.SP01&xid=0deb562

https://taskandpurpose.com/podcasts/veterans-commit-mass-shootings-alarming-rate/

https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/051313p8.shtml