Positive news! On Thursday, city and federal officials announced that homelessness among military veterans has effectively ended. This means that every veteran in the city of Philadelphia who wants or needs housing officially has access to it.
Since August 2013, reports Philadelphia News, 1,390 Philadelphia veterans have been connected to permanent housing. Only 15 remain on the street, and that’s their choice as they “don’t want to be housed,” says the city’s mayor.
At a recent City Hall news conference, Mayor Nutter addressed the remaining veterans living on the streets:
I have a message for each of you who are still out there. We honor your service and your sacrifices. You deserve a home. We won’t give up on you.
The Philadelphia effort was led by Philly Vets Home, a coalition of local government agencies, nonprofit groups and the local Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in the city.
A program was developed that moved veterans into emergency housing within just a few days of becoming or being identified as homeless – similar to a successful program implemented in the state of Virginia. Veterans were then moved into transitional housing within 47 days and into a permanent home within 105.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro told city leaders:
You have actually done it. You have effectively ended veteran homelessness. The thing is that we can’t stop our work until every single veteran has a place to call home in the United States.
More positive news is on the horizon. Since 2013, states, counties, and cities across the nation have stepped up efforts to find every vet a permanent home and, in effect, have reduced veteran homelessness by one-third!
Earlier this year, New Orleans, Louisiana, became the first city in the United States to eliminate veteran homelessness. And Virginia became the first state to reach the same goal on Veterans Day, November 11th.
What are your thoughts? Comment below and share this news!
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This is awesome. As anti-war as I am (I even have a bumper sticker that says “I’m already against the next war,”) and as much as I want very low taxes and a much more free economy and more civil liberties (Oh yes, I’m one of them thar crazy libertarians and support Ron Paul totally and Rand to a point), we ***OWE*** our veterans. We do not take proper care of the veterans we have but go on making more of them. To provide housing is as important as providing medical care to them. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Those mini-houses would fill the bill, or small apartments, or spartan hotel rooms. A roof over the head, heat for winter and A/C if needed for summer. ***BUT*** and knowing a bit about the nature of government, it *MUST* be *VOLUNTARY,* i.e. made available, making sure they know it’s there for them at any time, but no strings and no attempts to talk them into anything.
You have a good point. Have you heard of Agenda 21? Look it up. It’s intentions are not honorable, but they provide something that could be of help here…..housing!
I live in Orange County, California. I live in an area that includes Buena Park, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, and many other communities. What I’m seeing right now is the construction of thousands of homes, apartments and who knows what else in the form of places to live. My question is for whom are these being built? Have any of them been marked for homeless veterans, or homeless of any persuasion. Or are they being built for all the people the government wants to be brought here from Syria, or other nations surrounding it?
I could see the veterans being given some of these homes or apartments to get them off the streets. But is would also be needed that they be trained or educated to a point of being usefull citizens like most of us feel we should be. Many will need help for mental and physical needs. Can it be worked into this program to help them get off the streets and be productive members of society once more? I don’t have an answer, but someone might who is willing to help them.
Give them a chance!
Not only have I heard of Agenda 21 but I don’t like a single thing about it that I know so far. I have a blog (google me and see my most recent essay on education) and hope to write an essay on Agenda 21/New World Order. As for new homes being built, my question is *by* whom? By the government? Yes then I’d wonder exactly for whom? By the private sector? Then I think that our economy is distorted so badly due to bad monetary policy that the private sector believes there will be demand for this housing and a profit can be made from it. It might not even be finished when they realize it was a bad move, or, if finished, units might stand empty for years.
I suspect that they will believe that what they are doing is good for them and the economy. But if there is nothing or very little left. Those with the skills will probably not be around to accomplish their goals. Power doesn’t always omit stupidity.
Nobody who has a sound mind likes it! This was discussed in the mid-90’s as a possible solution to “reduce” traffic by providing a complete housing and shopping center for the residents there. What it really is is the place where when they want to move people to the internment camps, they have them in segments to collect them and move them there. Where I live they have built a huge number of such buildings and are still doing it right now! Now you know why so many people are losing their one family homes. It’s not just the money thing!
If you are not an American you see the US vets as part of the former problems of the world. What is so great about idiots who put on a uniform to oppress and tyrannize the rest of the world?
Empty all the US bases around the world and stop threatening all the other nations. We don’t all want to have endless Micky Mouse and Coca Cola, accompanied by endless war.
That’s true but it is the big guys who make the decisions who are to blame for that. This article was about the little guys, the guys in the trenches who *thought* they were fighting to preserve our freedom, but were really fighting for the big guys in the establishment. (Freedom??? What freedom???We have ***ZERO*** freedom thanks to Bush/Obama!)
True enough, for the most part, but at what point does “I was just following orders” no longer act as a valid excuse? Although it’s difficult to oppose “authority” it is mighty difficult, and those fighting these endless, illegal wars of expansion have to learn to listen to their own conscience instead of “orders.” Whether we (“the little guys” – veterans, non-veterans, doesn’t matter) follow orders or not, killing is still killing, murder is still murder, and when young men and women are sent out to murder other people that have no issue with us, something’s gotta give.
That’s correct, Mike. Just following orders is not any excuse for wrongdoing. I really don’t know the answer. We simply have to end all these wars, close down overseas bases, bring the troops home. Read _Healing Our World_ by Mary Ruwart, 2015 edition.
We simply need to see them as guys who answered the call, believing (and being led to believe) that their country would do the right thing and take care of them when they lost their limbs, their sanity and, in many cases, their families.
No matter what you think about America’s foreign policy, they deserve to have the government fulfill their end of the bargain. Is that hard to understand?
You’re full of sh!t.
…and you’re a mindless troll. As a US veteran, I actually agree with GIVVO6_B. I’ve been saying we need to close down ALL of our overseas bases for years. Bring our soldiers home, where they belong, to protect our borders instead of other peoples’ borders.
Good idea, but we (the US gov) still need to help the vets, no matter their reasons for going to war or what they did during the war. We wouldn’t have the freedoms we have (and used too have) if it weren’t for vets fighting for our country. We (the US) owe them!
Your vets are useless and never win wars. You are only on the winning side when allied to real soldiers like the Red Army which won WW2 or the former British Empire that won WW1. Great protection you got by invading Vietnam and getting your butts kicked by a nation of 15 million North Vietnamese. Now Afghanistan is falling again to the Taliban and it is the Syrian Arab army aided by Iran which will destroy ISIS.
My vets? What country are you from?
The world owes your vets megadeath as that is what they hand out to the civilians of the Middle East, Afghanistan, South East Asia, South America and everywhere the morons go. End the USA and all its evils and set the world free.
You sound like I terrorist. Maybe someone should report you.
You sound like one of the real terrorists. A country founded by terrorists and working to a constitution written by traitors, slave owners and Indian killers. The same country that continually murders millions on every continent and backs the Pharisees and enemies of Christ. I bet your are merely an arrogant Septic.
You’re full of hate. I feel sorry for you.
I certainly hate the murderous and arrogant clowns of the USA and look forward to the whole world using Vietnam as a pattern and put all you arrogant and ignorant big heads in their place.
You didn’t answer my question. What country are you in?
Absolutely right. Close the bases and go home. The US is protected by the Atlantic and the Pacific with friendly countries to the north and south. America has enough natural resources to live the so-called American dream which you have turned into a nightmare by being bankrupt and immoral.
I’m a US Vet, too, and I agree with shutting down the bases and bringing our troops home. I just don’t agree with you blaming our Vets for that not happening. It’s our stinking Gov’t that’s to blame.
Interesting! We don’t house homeless children or Seniors, those most vulnerable but we house grown men who fought in wars abroad. Know why? Because they know how to shoot guns. They’re capable of revolution. So you have to buy them off.
Thank you Eric Shinseki
This a wonderful improvement over what our country usually gives to vet’s. I hope it’s real and continues. They deserve more than we can ever repay. Thanks to all who made this happen.
Vets, not “vet’s”.
Maybe they ended homelessness for veterans the same way polio was eradicated. You know, redefining it.
I was thinking along similar lines; maybe they’ve eradicated homelessness among the veterans because they eliminated the problem — the homeless veterans themselves. I’m a veteran, and I was homeless, but long before I joined the service. I don’t trust the government, not even local. Peace.
lol….Right on that, try telling the facts to a pro vax nut job, they are violent, angry, and can’t even cite one doctor or study from the “thousands” that they say prove them right.
“If man obeys the voice of the body, which is the carnal earthly being, he builds unto death; for in the flesh there can be no continued conscious existence. If he obeys the voice of the divine spark within, then does he build the great temple, the temple not made with hands, which is eternal.”
If we have so many homeless veterans in these united States, why is it that it’s taken this long to get one city and one State to activate such a program. Why aren’t the rest willing to do the same thing around this country. We send our men and women to fight across the woirld and allegedly thank them for their service. I get a number of handshakes and I also give a lot as well. But it’s not just those who are able to move on. We have many, just in my city of Stanton. I’ve not asked specifically about veterans; more in general for so many individuals without homes in various crevises around town. I tend to believe quite a few are veterans of diferent wars. If we honor our men and women on Veteran’s Day, then we should consider those in the streets as well. There is no separation when you are in combat. One works as part of a team. Then why is it that we don’t do the same at home? Are we hypocrits by this division? Can something be done about this? Yes, but communities need to participate with everyone doing some part to deal with this problem. Oh, and putting them in one of the internment camps isn’t the solution. It compounds the problem even more. Any suggestions?
You vote for them and are as arrogant as your government, so I look forward to your demise.
Wrong. I don’t vote for any of them because our votes don’t count anymore, if they ever did. They’re appointed by the powers that be. Google it.
As much as I dislike your accusations, I don’t wish for YOUR demise. I hope you have a long and happy life. However, you have major issues. Seek professional help.
The US military should get help for their issues about being a bunch of psychopaths. Those who are found sane need to be incarcerated for life as mass murderers and being merely hit men for the greedy thieves of Wall Street. .
The rest of the world only owes your veterans a bullet in the head as pay back.