Blog Entry # 31
There are many female veterans that are homeless because of various reasons that you might think would make sense or not of why the female veteran demographic who are part of the increasingly female veteran homeless population from throughout the years. It seems to be more of a reality of the female veteran homeless population has spiked since the past years. Lately there seems to be a lot of chatter about the female veteran homeless demography is increasing, and as me being a past homeless veteran who lived on the streets, and I have an understanding of my perspective of having a first hand experience of being homeless and have meet homeless female veterans and so many others. So, even though I have wrote blogs about the homeless veteran community, and among other stories about the veteran community: I thought I would broaden the story about the homeless community with putting a spin to it with the captivating story that relates to the female veteran who are or was homeless.
Furthermore, there have been studies from the Dept. of the Veteran Affairs Administration, and from other organizations/ media interviews of female veterans who have been or are homeless veterans, and the reports are alarming of increasing female veteran homeless population that is becoming more prevalent then ever. The studies & reports keep showing that the female veteran population are suffering more from P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) since there are more female veterans who served in the Armed Forces (Military) while being in Combat Arms assignments: in which in the past were primarily assignments for the male soldiers, but with the high demand of filling those combat arms positions because of the U.S. facing more increasable conflicts & wars, where there are more deployment missions that demand to have boots on the ground in combat-zones, and not enough men to fill those positions; the need for female soldiers to fill-in the gap, due to recruitment being down: has played a major factor behind female soldiers being in more combat arms positions then ever before.
Regardless that in the past there seemed to be a request for more female soldiers to serve in combat arms assignments from those of leadership in the military by female leadership that in return got the attention of those on Capital Hill; the pressure from those seeking to have more female warriors on the battlefield eventually through a long and difficult transition of female warriors were granted to serve with the male counterpart warriors: and because of that there has been a price to pay for such a controversial decision from those of the leaders in the military, and on Capital Hill who objected to put female warriors in combat arms positions, but the objection of putting female warriors on the battlefield was eventually short lived and overruled by those who managed to make it possible for females to serve in combat arms positions such as military police, combat engineers, and eventually in infantry positions, etc. but the U.S. Navy was one of the first branch's of service that allowed females to be on U.S. Navy Ships and to be on sea duty: as it was at one point not authorized, but became a demand of a need to have more trained, readily available sailors to ship-off for sea duty.
There is also another reason why females are becoming more homeless, and suffering with mental illnesses & disorders, and has been a very dark blackeye to the U.S. military; and that would be sexual assault towards female veterans by those who are in leadership positions or not, but of those who have rapped female soldiers have eventually proved to be unable to be honorable or professionals. The sexual assault problem in the military has been going on a long while, and at one point the Pentagon ignored the claims or accusations coming from those who have filed infractions towards those who have sexually assaulted them as the female counterpart but the male domination in the military made it difficult knowing that of those who sexually assaulted the female warriors were many of them leaders or subordinates who would put fear or threaten to end their career: and that is one example out of many of leadership at the Pentagon to all the way down the ranks of failing the female counterpart for decades. Even though there are more strict policies coming out of the Pentagon then ever before, and there have been of those who have been charged for sexual assault against the female warrior counterpart; there still seems to female warriors or even male warriors being sexually assaulted (Rapped).
When a female warrior is faced with such adversity of being betrayed or of being put in such a high demand of being in combat arms assignments with the environment being still to this day a male world in the military: the stress that a female warrior goes through in their Unit, and that becomes more complicated when deployed in a combat-zone; can be a nightmare of an experience for the female warrior; especially when the male counterparts makes it more difficult for the female counterpart to work together when at many times the human element of the difference of biology or of morality plays a very profound role of such a very avoidable outcome; if only there was a guarantee that when female and males work together that there would nothing but professionals working together of all aspects: but not all men are equal just as not all women are equal, and in a perfect world that would be possible but of course the world isn't perfect but a very complicated world that at times can cause a persons dreams to become a nightmare. Trusting men and the system become more to the forefront of dealing with life of having more difficulties trusting others.
Besides the struggles female warriors face while serving in the military: when the female warrior comes home or when they discharge from the military, not all female warriors come home to a very pleasant welcoming or to a welcoming at all, and that goes for the male counterpart as well. In many cases the female veteran are not getting their needs met, and with the traumatic experiencing from serving as it is true for many of the male counterpart: the reality sinks in that the Department of the V.A. are not able to provide for the needs of the female veterans. Regardless what is being said by those from the Dept. of the V.A.: there are thousands upon thousands of female and male veterans who are being left behind, and are slipping through the cracks of such a very much a nightmare of a system with all the red tape and bureaucracy.
Keep in mind as it is true for the male warriors there are of many of the female warriors who are suffering with minor, moderate, to severe mental illnesses such as I mentioned, P.T.S.D., and don't forget about coping with Anxiety Disorders, Depression, and the medications and some of the therapy programs are not always helping or fixes the other issues such as not being able to work or being able to survive when there are no funding because of the female veterans like the male counterpart veteran being put on a waiting list because of backed logged claims for receiving rating to be able to granted veteran disability benefits. While many veterans wait to be approved to receive their benefits that many should get without having to wait for it for months upon months to years, and for many will never get rated or even get the benefits that they though they would get after serving, and many of them don't even get veteran benefits. So, if that is the case with veterans who are struggling with their personal issues, service connected issues, and are for many struggling with drug addiction, and with some considering or have tried, and sadly there are those who have committed suicide by being part of the 22 a day statistic: it makes sense why there are becoming more female veterans who are prevalently becoming homeless then ever before.
There has been a lot of money being thrown at the Dept. of the V.A., but it just seems to not be working, knowing that with the past mistakes of caring for the veterans are being repeated or ignored by focusing more on uncharted or not really regulated programs that have eventually caused programs for veterans that seemed to work better to be faded out like the creative art therapy, and more on campus transition programs, because the professionals who have never in many cases been a warrior or a veteran think that there education and there approach of implementing treatment programs that seem to be practical and be a tested theory in many cases are wasting tax payers money, and are not always as practical or even helping but hinder the veteran because while they push new treatment programs they continue to shove big pharmaceutical drugs down the throats of the warrior in which time keeps proving that there is a link with the psychotropic drugs can be linked to suicide or severe medical complications to the veterans mind, body (organs), and soul.
There is never really an easy solutions to any problems, but with politics continue to play a major role with the seemingly broken/ system of the Dept. of the V.A., and at many times broken promises after many of the leaders in D.C. are unable to follow through with promises to care for the veteran community; how can their be hope for the veteran community? I believe there is hope, the hope of the veteran community unite and fight the broken/ failing system by not staying silent, to speak boldly, to put pressure on the State Reps & Lawmakers, to join up a positive and legitimate of reputable V.S.O.'s (Service Organizations) or grassroot organizations that are making an impact in the veteran community. I would also suggest to find a high power or to get spiritual and find the Lord, because without the spiritual aspect of healing your soul will have difficulties to completely heal as it will be just has hard for your mind, and body to heal without having some type spiritual approach to a persons treatment program or recovery program.
Lastly, time will continue to show us if our leaders at the White House, Capital Hill, Pentagon, and at the Dept. of the V.A. will ever stop the madness of not being able to handle the issues stemming from not being able to grasp the reality of the lack of comprehension of the severity of not putting politics to the side or the bleak and complicate red tape and bureaucracy that keeps proving to make the veteran community be more of a place of uncertainty that in return turns into hopelessness.
Please, note: there are videos that will give you more of an insight of the female veteran homeless problem, and stories from female veterans testimonies, and there are links below to reference of the citations to this blog entry #31.
Authors Special Note:
"As a disabled combat veteran who is service connected, and knows all to well of the nightmare the monstrous Dept. of the V.A. system can be like with having my fair share of headaches of dealing with the V.A.: it is my duty and responsibility to share this blog entry #31 from what I know from first hand or other veterans or from what I have researched about what I have been through as a warrior or what I have been privileged and honored to know about from other warriors experience of serving in the military and the dealing of the Dept. of the V.A. throughout the years being in the military or in the veteran community.
Thank you for taking the time to read blog entry #31, and I pray and hope it gives you more of the real and true perspective of what is going on with the female veteran demographic or with the veteran community as a whole with a different perspective."
-Warrior Timothy W. Sanders
Women comprise the fastest-growing segment of the homeless Veteran population. In its 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimated that just over 40,000 veterans were homeless on a single night in January of that year. Mar 21, 2018
Links:
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=UK-wXKD2C6u9hwO65aYw&q=female+homeless+veteran+problems&btnK=Google+Search&oq=female+homeless+veteran+problems&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i22i29i30.2022.21674..22057...9.0..0.755.7592.3j27j7j1j1j1j1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0i131j0j0i22i30j0i22i10i30j0i10j33i22i10i29i30.CxsCBDXCnM8
https://www.google.com/search?ei=Z6-wXLDGHYb1hwPh-4HwDQ&q=female+veteran+homeless+veteran+stories&oq=female+veteran+homeless+veteran+stories&gs_l=psy-ab.3...60118.70738..71664...0.0..0.315.3417.0j21j1j1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j33i21j33i160j33i22i29i30.eM1k1O4tMIY
https://www.google.com/search?ei=sK-wXOnbOaih-QaO3r24Dw&q=female+veteran+homeless+veteran+studies&oq=female+veteran+homeless+veteran+studies&gs_l=psy-ab.3...31754.38115..38410...0.0..0.177.1364.0j10......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j33i21j33i160j33i22i29i30.Szi_K7FAKWA
https://www.google.com/search?ei=2K-wXPG2Mo3ahwOxrq_wBg&q=female+veteran+homeless+veteran+orgnizations&oq=female+veteran+homeless+veteran+orgnizations&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i160.56622.65751..66231...0.0..0.220.2657.1j17j1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j33i21j33i22i29i30j33i13i21.a3IsgEWDBrc
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