Helping Homeless Veterans

VetLIFT helps homeless veterans in Oregon

EUGENE, Oregon–Acknowledging members of the military comes easily during wartime, when their sacrifices are so agonizingly apparent. But when they leave the service, some veterans struggle with the transition to civilian life. For a variety of reasons, they quietly slip out of sight and wind up on the streets, sleeping in doorways, scrounging for spare change and fleeing their demons in the fog of alcohol and drugs.

Though veterans constitute just 9 percent of the total U.S. population, they account for 23 percent of the homeless population. Among homeless men, one in three is a military veteran.

About 4,800 homeless veterans live in the Willamette Valley. Of them, 1,800 or so are chronically homeless, meaning that they’ve been on the streets for more than a year or periodically for several years.

If national statistics hold true for Oregon’s homeless veterans, most are single men from poor, disadvantaged communities. Half have substance abuse problems, and 45 percent suffer from some form of mental illness.

Forty-seven percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam War. But the rest include vets from World War II, Korea, Grenada, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq. Most of these veterans were honorably discharged after serving their country for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in combat zones…

Why are veterans so vulnerable to homelessness? In addition to the shortage of affordable housing and living-wage jobs that are factors in all homelessness, veterans may have to contend with varying degrees of post traumatic stress disorder and the disruption of family relationships that can accompany military service.

For other veterans, the unpredictability and isolation in civilian life is painfully at odds with the well-ordered world of military service. One day a soldier has a clear job in an organization that takes care of his every need. The next he’s a civilian, on his own, with a specialized set of military skills that may not be a match for the jobs that are available.

Government and social service organizations have been working hard to come up with programs to assist homeless veterans, and Lane County has one that looks particularly promising. Dubbed VetLIFT – Veterans Living Independently Following Treatment – the program combines city, state and federal money in a comprehensive effort that goes beyond providing housing.

VetLIFT is aimed at homeless veterans with mental illness and substance abuse problems who have demonstrated a motivation to change. Participants agree to pay monthly rent either with donations or with their disability checks, through federal housing vouchers provided by the Veterans Administration.

In return for the security of food and safe housing, VetLIFT participants make a commitment to address the mental health and substance abuse issues that have contributed to their homelessness.

The program is coordinated by St. Vincent de Paul, which manages the various governmental grants and operates a 13-unit apartment complex for VetLIFT participants. Private donations to VetLIFT are used to buy the veterans groceries, bus passes, rent and tuition for Lane Community College classes (call 687-5820 for more information).

The VetLIFT program brings together the key elements recommended by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: secure housing and nutritional meals, substance abuse aftercare and mental health counseling, and personal development and empowerment. It’s a badly needed response to the problem of homelessness among a special group of Oregonians who have served their country – military veterans.