By Casey Mosbacher, SCS Intern
In honor of Veterans Day, we hope to shine a light on the courage, strength, and hardships America’s veterans have endured fighting for the country. The tenacity and experiences they have faced are unimaginable to many of us. We hold immense gratitude for their service, recognizing that service means also recognizing our responsibility to support them beyond the battlefield. However great their accomplishments were and how devoted they are to protecting the country, too many veterans experience another battle after service.
It may be a shock to learn that veterans, who serve the country, are among the largest populations experiencing homelessness in America. This is an issue that has persisted for decades, and while the unhoused veteran population is on the decline, they are still one of the most affected groups. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s January 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) count estimated 32,882 veterans were experiencing homelessness on a single night. Understanding the numbers is only part of the story, we need to look at the underlying factors that put some at higher risk than others.
No veteran is the same, each person’s story is different, and their reason for falling into homelessness is too. The struggles that come from active duty can make acclimating to civilian life feel unattainable. For many people who enlist, they join for the long term goal of using military benefits post service, for example college attendance, job training, etc. But after service numerous people are left with the burden of mental turmoil and a hard time adjusting, it can be a serious barrier to gaining education and employment. The narrative pushed is that drug use and mental disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are the main risk factors causing unstable situations. However, in a recent study, Risk Factors for Homelessness Among US Veterans, it was found that problematic military discharges, low military pay grade, and social isolation after military discharge had stronger correlations to homelessness than mental health and PTSD related problems. This finding suggests that the homelessness crisis among veterans is far more systematic and multifaceted than it is portrayed to be in the media.
In an all-volunteer program with enticing benefits, people who enlist are frequently not in a stable spot financially or with support systems before joining. A report by the Pew Research Center found that “among veterans who enlisted (post-1973 or voluntarily earlier), 61% of enlisted personnel say that an “important reason” they joined was the education benefit”. With this being said, when military service ends many people have very little to fall back on while transitioning from service to their next step. It is also important to acknowledge that if a person’s discharge is not honorable they are subject to loss of benefits to some extent or in its entirety depending on why they were not discharged honorably. This can mean that small incidents in service deplete the benefits that were designed to keep veterans afloat. Veterans are also burdened by the same systematic issues as the civilian population post service, lack of affordable housing, job insecurity, or difficulty navigating benefits systems are all at play as well.
Of the entire veteran population, some individuals and subgroups are at higher risk of experiencing homelessness. Primarily, lower-ranking members of the all-volunteer force are more vulnerable than those with higher rank, status, or salary. In addition, veterans who are women, those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hispanic and Black Americans, and individuals who specifically served in the Army face disproportionate rates of housing instability. For many, factors like post-traumatic stress, difficulty finding employment, and barriers to accessing VA benefits play a part in deepening these risks. Recognizing who is most affected helps us understand that homelessness among veterans is not a failure of character, but often a reflection of systemic and social gaps that we all share responsibility for addressing.
The best way to fight the disproportionate injustice within the veteran community is to volunteer and donate time or money to organizations that provide housing, job training, mental health services, and other critical resources for veterans in need. Even small actions, like supporting local shelters, or advocating for policies that expand affordable housing and access to benefits, can make a meaningful difference. At Shoreline Community Services we work with veterans almost daily and want to support the people in our community as best as we can. By combining personal effort with community support, we can ensure that the courage and sacrifice of our veterans is honored not just in words, but through tangible help that eases the battles they face.
References
Elder, G. H., Jr, Wang, L., Spence, N. J., Adkins, D. E., & Brown, T. H. (2010). Pathways to the All-Volunteer Military. Social science quarterly, 91(2), 455–475. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00702.x
Moduet. (2025, August 13). Veteran homelessness. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. https://nchv.org/veteran-homelessness/
Thurston, A. (2022, November 9). Why veterans remain at greater risk of homelessness. Boston University. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/why-veterans-remain-at-greater-risk-of-homelessness/
Tsai, J., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2015). Risk factors for homelessness among US veterans. Epidemiologic Reviews, 37(1), 177–195. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxu004
VA.Gov Home | Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). Veterans Affairs. https://www.va.gov/