November 11, 2015 Veterans’ Day

Veterans’ Day is at once a somber reminder and a celebratory occasion. It is a day to remember the sacrifices that so many Americans have made for our liberty and freedom, and a day to honor those in faraway lands. Veterans’ Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, however many of these brave men and women we honor are in difficult, challenging situations currently.

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) reports that on any given night there may be over 75,600 homeless veterans in shelters and on the streets across the country.

Two-thirds of America’s homeless veterans served for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone. They have served in all the conflicts of recent years, including Afghanistan and Iraq (OEF/OIF). A top priority for Rockford Housing Authority is to provide secure, safe, clean affordable housing that offers a supportive environment for them.

As part of the Rockford Housing Authority’s strategic goals and as we look beyond 2015, we will continue our work to ensure Veterans are empowered, independent, self-sustaining, and well equipped for civilian life.  We will improve our ability to partner and work with those strategic community partners who provide benefits, services, and resources to Veterans through improved collaboration, business practices, and outreach.

We measure Veteran success in terms relevant to individual Veteran outcomes from helping ensure VA benefits and services such as decreasing community homelessness. Without a stable, affordable place to live and a support system to help them address their underlying problems, many homeless veterans bounce from one emergency system to the next. “We must never accept homelessness as a part of American life. If we all do our part, we’ll never have to,” states U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.

In addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homeless— extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income, and access to health care— a large number of displaced and at-risk Veterans live with lingering effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse, compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. Currently, the number of homeless male and female Vietnam-era Veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war.

Today let us all reflect on the significance of this date and perhaps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans’ Day: A celebration to honor America’s Veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Let us all work together for making each and every one of them a little comfortable, a little more secure and a little more at ease.

#I Am Rockford