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HUD Study Shows Disproportionate Number of Young Homeless Veterans

According to an article in USA Today, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) combined to perform a study of homeless veterans, which concluded that around 13,000 of all the homeless people across the country were veterans between 18 and 30 years old. Many of those homeless veterans are veterans with disabilities, and need as much help as possible.

Given the sheer volume of soldiers soon due back to the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan, these numbers raise a concern. Younger veterans constitute only around 5% of all the veterans in population. That 5%, however, is almost 9% of all homeless veterans.

Further, the study showed 20% to 30% of all the homeless veterans served as combat veterans. The cause for this unreasonable situation is not only the "poor economy," but also the end-affect of multiple deployments, according to the VA.

Researchers found this number to be "disproportionately large" when compared to the overall number of homeless veterans in existence. Their findings were not only disturbing, but damaging to the VA's plan for ending homelessness among veterans.

Overall, the study showed the number of homeless veterans has remained the same despite recent fluctuations. This is seen as a positive, as given the economy, the number of homeless veterans has been prevented from growing.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.