Nov 26, 2022 3 min read

“One veteran experiencing homelessness will always be one too many,” according to Denis McDonough, the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

At the beginning of 2022, there were 33,136 homeless veterans in the United States, a report released last week found. Imagine Star Lake Amphitheater outside Burgettstown packed to capacity, then add another 10,000 people – that’s the number of veterans who do not have a roof over their head, who are sleeping on the street, living in a shelter, couch surfing or otherwise do not have a fixed address.

That’s a daunting number. But there’s good news, too – the federal report, assembled by the departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, found that the number of homeless veterans had decreased by 11% over two years. In 2020, there were 37,252 homeless veterans. But the really good news is that the number of homeless veterans has plummeted over the last decade, tumbling by 55% since 2010, when there were 76,329.

When contacted by the Observer-Reporter last week, Washington City Mission COO Brian Johansson said there seems to have been a dip in the number of homeless veterans in this area, but cautioned that “you’ve got to be careful with the accuracy of those kinds of things because there could be some folks who are going unseen or unnoticed.”

Veterans are uniquely vulnerable to becoming homeless because they can return home carrying the scars of combat or have post-traumatic stress disorder. Some experts point out, though, that some veterans might be homeless due to life experiences before they enlisted or any number of other factors that also beset homeless individuals who have never served in the military – relationship problems, drug and alcohol abuse, unemployment and difficulties making ends meet. A lack of affordable housing options has also played a part.

Part of the reason the number of homeless veterans has gone down across the country is the Department of Veterans Affairs has put resources into housing programs. Locally, Washington City Mission has set aside space for homeless veterans with its Crabtree Kovacicek Veterans’ House, which has 22 beds and is designed to help veterans with the issues that led them to become homeless and get them on track toward living on their own with a place to call home.

Johansson explained, “It is a challenge for us as a society to address those issues in a way that is life-changing for veterans. You can’t just say, ‘Figure it out.’ They need support to do that.”

When the United States has been involved in conflicts abroad in recent years, Americans have been urged to support the troops even if they disagree with the policy that has placed them in harm’s way. That support needs to extend to the time after they get home.