The three basic human needs are food, shelter, and clothing. However, the socio-economic challenges make attainment of these basic needs impossible. Homelessness, for instance, is deeply rooted to psychosocial inadequacy that prompts people to disregard homes as very basic. Homeless can result from various factors, some which are preventable, while others are out of mans control. The destruction of homes by natural catastrophes is a rare occurrence, although it leads to temporary or permanent homelessness. The recent storm in Texas left many people homeless as their abodes were destroyed by heavy rainfall and strong winds. Economic deprivation can lead to homelessness due to the lack of money to rent or buy a house. This situation normally pushes people to the streets or to cohabitation with friends and families, which this paper considers as homelessness. It is disturbing to find that men and women who put their life on the line for the country face the problem of homelessness. Veterans coming home from tours of duty do not receive adequate social support that allows them to reenter the society. As a result, they fail to satisfy their social needs which include housing. This paper argues that a poor social support network for veterans is the cause of the increased homelessness rate among this group.
US veterans form the biggest percentage of the homeless population in the country. According to a study conducted by Fargo et. al., (2012, p 1), veterans are at greater risk of becoming homeless than non-veterans. This study also shows that a number of factors related to veteran status predispose them to homelessness. Some of these factors are chronic health conditions and the high cost of treatment for such ailments. Indeed, diseases are costly to manage, and the cost of treatment can significantly damage a persons savings. In a case where an individual is impoverished by a disease, housing becomes optional or unnecessary. The money required to pay rent or a mortgage becomes unavailable. For those people whose houses have mortgage loans, they are foreclosed if the grace periods expire. The study by Fargo et. al further distributes the risk of becoming homeless among male and female veterans. The study also finds that women veterans have a threefold risk while their male counterparts have a twofold risk of living without a home. Additionally, the risk of homelessness increases with age.
There is a strong association between old age and homelessness (Coe, Morley, & Tumosa, 2005). Old people without social support from families or government are likely to experience accommodation problems especially if they have chronic illnesses. Therefore, social support methods like the establishment of nursing homes for the elderly are a haven for senile people. There is already evidence showing that veterans are overrepresented in the general population without homes to live in. Old age is, therefore, very likely to augment homelessness in veterans. Veterans of advanced age, for example those who fought in the Korean War, are moribund with chronic illnesses that have adversely affected their wellbeing. If there are no nursing homes to care for them, or a social support program that mobilizes healthcare services for such veterans, they end up cohabiting with their children, friends or other relatives.
Social deprivation among veterans is attributable to the apparent difference in the rate of homelessness between women and men veterans. The roots of homelessness in women veterans include pre-military adversity, military trauma, post military violence, post military mental illness or substance abuse and unemployment (Hamilton, Poza & Washington, 2010). All of these root causes converge at lack of social support. An example of pre-military adversity is familial poverty. Some people who enroll for the army do so to alleviate themselves or members of their family from poverty. According to this article, such people are likely to become homeless after serving in the military for some time. Mental illness is common among men and women coming from the tour of duty. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other psychological disorders which are common in veterans can push them into a life of misery if there are not effective channels to address such problems.
In conclusion, there is enough evidence to show that homelessness that befalls veterans after discharge from duty is attributable to the lack of social support from the government and other concerned parties. After leaving the army, veterans may develop physical and mental illness that deteriorates their economic standing. Aged veterans in particular develop chronic illnesses that siphon money out of their personal coffers. If there are no established mechanisms of addressing this disease-associated social deprivation, veterans may ultimately lose their homes and become homeless. Unemployment and substance abuse that may follow discharge from the army are attributed to the absence of functional social networks to handle veterans and care for their socio-economic needs.
References
Coe, R., Morley, J., & Tumosa, N. (2006). Social and community aspects of aging. Principles And Practice of Geriatric Medicine, 2 (4), 101-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470090572.ch10
Fargo, J., Metraux, S., Byrne, T., Munley, E., Montgomery, A., Jones, H., & Culhane, D. (2012). Prevalence and Risk of Homelessness among US Veterans. Preventing Chronic Disease, http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.110112
Hamilton, A., Poza, I., & Washington, D.(2011). Homelessness and Trauma Go Hand-in-Hand: Pathways to Homelessness among Women Veterans. Women's Health Issues, 21(4), S203-S209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2011.04.005
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