As noted by the Department of Veteran Affairs, even one veteran without safe and stable housing is too many. Ron Littlefield calls for cities to move beyond studies and seek ways to aid returned veterans.
Ron Littlefield, former mayor of Chatanooga and a senior fellow with the Governing Institute, details the ongoing challenge of housing and caring for the country's veterans.
"A number of the municipalities in the City Accelerator initiative identified homelessness among the short list of critical urban issues affecting their communities. It is unquestionably a major problem across the United States," writes Littlefield.
Littlefield goes on to cite recent coverage of efforts to aid homeless veterans, including a series on NPR that focused, among other programs, on San Diego's "Stand Down," a free event offering health, dental and personal care for veterans.
As for why veteran homelessness is an especially acute challenge for cities, Littlefield quotes the following: "The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that homeless veterans mostly live in cities and suffer from mental illness, substance abuse or the lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The challenging statistics are presented in The Wall Street Journal article, 'Veterans Try New Approaches to Heal the Wounds of War,' which notes that in 2012, the VA spent more than $3 billion on PTSD treatment and the Pentagon spent about $294 million more."
FULL STORY: Homeless Veterans' Sacrifices Merit Special Attention
HUD and VA: Homeless Vets Down 12%
The results are in keeping with a federal goal to eliminate veteran homelessness by 2015 through grants and other measures to ensure permanent housing. Steve Vogel reports.
San Diego Housing Assistance, Homelessness Programs Facing Major Cuts
Programs supported by federal and state programs are on the brink of losing funding, putting thousands of homeless and at-risk residents in jeopardy.
Disabled Veterans Gain Access to Supportive Housing Assistance
Disability benefits will no longer exclude veterans from supportive housing programs.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service