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Homeless Veterans in America.
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Homeless Veterans in America.Posted:
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Hello, i am sure most of you have seen me around and recognize me, i'd like to bring up a situation that i think is dire, if you have the time please read below..
Thank you.
Last night in my town we had a community outreach program where kids and adults of all ages could come out and meet with officers, it varied from playing basketball to letting them use our loudspeaker on our cruisers. It turned out to be a wonderful evening however there was a less known area and was mostly avoided by people.
We had an area that officers, including me personally set up for homeless people and homeless veterans. Us officers spent our own money for tables, food and we even hired a barber for 3 hours to cut and shave them. While i played a few games of basketball, my main focus was the area we had set up.
Most of these people who come aren't criminals, they are human beings just like us. The only difference is they are down on their luck. I met with some really great people who told us the story of how they ended up where they are now. Some were very sad and troubling.
We spent hours talking with these people and ordered 20 Pizza's for us all.
Most of the homeless community that came out were veterans. As a veteran myself it broke my heart to see them in this situation. Me and other officers stood around and asked questions to these men and women asking it is they became where they are.
It's time we made a difference to help these brave men and women, me and about 11 other officers pooled our money to buy new shoes, pants and jackets for 5 homeless veterans. We took them to the store and let them pick things out and then we brought them back and spoke with them further. The outreach program ended by 9:00pm but we stayed until 11pm and we all talked and made jokes the entire time
Now while the homeless veteran percentage has drops by a significant amount, it's no where near where it should be
This graph shows the amount as of 2012, while it drops a few thousand from there. It's still not enough, it should be 0. As of 2014 there are 49,849 homeless veterans in America which makes up 8.6% of the homeless population
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To see how you can make a difference please scroll to see the list of options.
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This is how you can make a difference
- If you see a homeless veteran, donate food or small amounts of money
- Be a part of a community out reach program and do what YOU can to make a difference
- There are non-profit organizations that are fighting for homeless veterans such as
1. Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
2. United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS)
3. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV)
4. American Veterans (AMVETS)
All of these are proudly non-profit and voted the best in the country.
Together, we can make a difference to end homelessness among Veterans.
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Last edited by Glock- ; edited 1 time in total
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#2. Posted:
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This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.
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#3. Posted:
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Joined: Sep 28, 201013Year Member
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Joined: Sep 28, 201013Year Member
Posts: 2,244
Reputation Power: 257
LieutenantGaz wrote This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.
This is NOT the place for a political discussion.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
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#4. Posted:
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Joined: Nov 07, 201211Year Member
Posts: 3,732
Reputation Power: 362
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 07, 201211Year Member
Posts: 3,732
Reputation Power: 362
Glock- wroteLieutenantGaz wrote This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.This is NOT the place for a political discussion.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
Of course this is the place for a political discussion, it's a political topic. You might not think it is because donating money to homeless veterans seems so obviously great to you, but it doesn't to all people. What makes homeless veterans more important than homeless people in general? And if you don't like the idea of people not respecting the military, then what about all of the homeless ex-police officers? All of the homeless ex-doctors?
What if by donating to these specific foundations other homeless people who don't happen to be veterans are missing out? You could at least include a couple of links to charities which don't discriminate between who they try to help.
Why ignore what LieutenantGaz said when he is absolutely right. You could include in your main topic a section about writing to your local representative and appealing to them to expand social safety nets for homeless veterans and homeless people in general.
Sure it's not the same as donating money but if it gets things done in the long term then it helps all the same.
But no, he should just take his shit elsewhere because you don't like what he has to say?
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#5. Posted:
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Joined: Sep 28, 201013Year Member
Posts: 2,244
Reputation Power: 257
Status: Offline
Joined: Sep 28, 201013Year Member
Posts: 2,244
Reputation Power: 257
MrWednesday wroteGlock- wroteLieutenantGaz wrote This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.This is NOT the place for a political discussion.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
Of course this is the place for a political discussion, it's a political topic. You might not think it is because donating money to homeless veterans seems so obviously great to you, but it doesn't to all people. What makes homeless veterans more important than homeless people in general? And if you don't like the idea of people not respecting the military, then what about all of the homeless ex-police officers? All of the homeless ex-doctors?
What if by donating to these specific foundations other homeless people who don't happen to be veterans are missing out? You could at least include a couple of links to charities which don't discriminate between who they try to help.
Why ignore what LieutenantGaz said when he is absolutely right. You could include in your main topic a section about writing to your local representative and appealing to them to expand social safety nets for homeless veterans and homeless people in general.
Sure it's not the same as donating money but if it gets things done in the long term then it helps all the same.
But no, he should just take his shit elsewhere because you don't like what he has to say?
Whoa whoa, let me stop you right there bud. I WILL NOT get into a political discussion on this topic.
What makes homeless veterans more important than homeless people in general
The fact they gave blood for this country says enough.
If you read the actual post you would notice how i said "We had an area that officers, including me personally set up for homeless people and homeless veterans." Now, if you are unable to understand what that means, let me explain it further for you sir.
We didn't just support veterans, there were homeless people with NO military experience there and were actually the main focus, during our talk with them. We found out who were veterans. We gave them food, barber who cleaned them up properly and socialized with them whether they were veterans or not We did however buy clothing for the veterans as they gave blood for this country. You as someone who sits behind a keyboard typing away with your political views bash pretty much everything police and military do but the facts are simple.
Without police officers, there is no civil order. The country would fall to chaos. Murders would go unsolved, crimes would occur. The best way to put it, The Purge would become reality.
Without our Military, Those insurgents who are engaging our forces overseas could be the next ones to smuggle a nuclear weapon into New York City and kill 2 million people. Without our military, Germany could have been the first country to develop a nuclear weapon and took control over the United States ending that freedom you currently enjoy.
So before you ask why they have preference, The men and women of the United States military, ME. We gave our blood so that Americans can enjoy the freedoms that make this country so great and if you have anything negative to say about that then don't respond.
Also, if you did some research, some of the organizations i listed actually help homeless people in general whether they are veterans or not. But i don't think you did, did you?
No of course not..
If you read the actual post you would notice how i said "We had an area that officers, including me personally set up for homeless people and homeless veterans." Now, if you are unable to understand what that means, let me explain it further for you sir.
We didn't just support veterans, there were homeless people with NO military experience there and were actually the main focus, during our talk with them. We found out who were veterans. We gave them food, barber who cleaned them up properly and socialized with them whether they were veterans or not We did however buy clothing for the veterans as they gave blood for this country. You as someone who sits behind a keyboard typing away with your political views bash pretty much everything police and military do but the facts are simple.
Without police officers, there is no civil order. The country would fall to chaos. Murders would go unsolved, crimes would occur. The best way to put it, The Purge would become reality.
Without our Military, Those insurgents who are engaging our forces overseas could be the next ones to smuggle a nuclear weapon into New York City and kill 2 million people. Without our military, Germany could have been the first country to develop a nuclear weapon and took control over the United States ending that freedom you currently enjoy.
So before you ask why they have preference, The men and women of the United States military, ME. We gave our blood so that Americans can enjoy the freedoms that make this country so great and if you have anything negative to say about that then don't respond.
Also, if you did some research, some of the organizations i listed actually help homeless people in general whether they are veterans or not. But i don't think you did, did you?
No of course not..
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#6. Posted:
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Joined: Jun 22, 201211Year Member
Posts: 3,432
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Status: Offline
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MrWednesday wroteHelping people has nothing to do with politics. He chose to speak about veterans specifically because he's part of that brotherhood, and thats something you wouldn't understand. Vets fought for this country, for me and you, and our freedoms. And I'm not ashamed to say that they do deserve to be taken better care of. I would rather give my money to a homeless vet, than a homeless person who hasn't done anything with their life.Glock- wroteLieutenantGaz wrote This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.This is NOT the place for a political discussion.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
Of course this is the place for a political discussion, it's a political topic. You might not think it is because donating money to homeless veterans seems so obviously great to you, but it doesn't to all people. What makes homeless veterans more important than homeless people in general? And if you don't like the idea of people not respecting the military, then what about all of the homeless ex-police officers? All of the homeless ex-doctors?
What if by donating to these specific foundations other homeless people who don't happen to be veterans are missing out? You could at least include a couple of links to charities which don't discriminate between who they try to help.
Why ignore what LieutenantGaz said when he is absolutely right. You could include in your main topic a section about writing to your local representative and appealing to them to expand social safety nets for homeless veterans and homeless people in general.
Sure it's not the same as donating money but if it gets things done in the long term then it helps all the same.
But no, he should just take his shit elsewhere because you don't like what he has to say?
- 4useful
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#7. Posted:
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 07, 201211Year Member
Posts: 3,732
Reputation Power: 362
Status: Offline
Joined: Nov 07, 201211Year Member
Posts: 3,732
Reputation Power: 362
Glock- wroteMrWednesday wroteGlock- wroteLieutenantGaz wrote This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.This is NOT the place for a political discussion.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
Of course this is the place for a political discussion, it's a political topic. You might not think it is because donating money to homeless veterans seems so obviously great to you, but it doesn't to all people. What makes homeless veterans more important than homeless people in general? And if you don't like the idea of people not respecting the military, then what about all of the homeless ex-police officers? All of the homeless ex-doctors?
What if by donating to these specific foundations other homeless people who don't happen to be veterans are missing out? You could at least include a couple of links to charities which don't discriminate between who they try to help.
Why ignore what LieutenantGaz said when he is absolutely right. You could include in your main topic a section about writing to your local representative and appealing to them to expand social safety nets for homeless veterans and homeless people in general.
Sure it's not the same as donating money but if it gets things done in the long term then it helps all the same.
But no, he should just take his shit elsewhere because you don't like what he has to say?
Whoa whoa, let me stop you right there bud. I WILL NOT get into a political discussion on this topic.
What makes homeless veterans more important than homeless people in generalThe fact they gave blood for this country says enough.
If you read the actual post you would notice how i said "We had an area that officers, including me personally set up for homeless people and homeless veterans." Now, if you are unable to understand what that means, let me explain it further for you sir.
We didn't just support veterans, there were homeless people with NO military experience there and were actually the main focus, during our talk with them. We found out who were veterans. We gave them food, barber who cleaned them up properly and socialized with them whether they were veterans or not We did however buy clothing for the veterans as they gave blood for this country. You as someone who sits behind a keyboard typing away with your political views bash pretty much everything police and military do but the facts are simple.
Also, if you did some research, some of the organizations i listed actually help homeless people in general whether they are veterans or not. But i don't think you did, did you?
No of course not..
Without police officers, there is no civil order. The country would fall to chaos. Murders would go unsolved, crimes would occur. The best way to put it, The Purge would become reality.
Without our Military, Those insurgents who are engaging our forces overseas could be the next ones to smuggle a nuclear weapon into New York City and kill 2 million people. Without our military, Germany could have been the first country to develop a nuclear weapon and took control over the United States ending that freedom you currently enjoy.
So before you ask why they have preference, The men and women of the United States military, ME. We gave our blood so that Americans can enjoy the freedoms that make this country so great and if you have anything negative to say about that then don't respond.
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Whoa whoa, let me stop you right there bud.
I love your brand of condescension. It's like an aftershave with a ship on the bottle. Cheap and boring.
I'm not in your country.
Your cult of military personality isn't going to work on me, I'm sorry.
If you read the actual post you would notice how i said "We had an area that officers, including me personally set up for homeless people and homeless veterans." Now, if you are unable to understand what that means, let me explain it further for you sir.
We didn't just support veterans, there were homeless people with NO military experience there and were actually the main focus, during our talk with them. We found out who were veterans. We gave them food, barber who cleaned them up properly and socialized with them whether they were veterans or not We did however buy clothing for the veterans as they gave blood for this country. You as someone who sits behind a keyboard typing away with your political views bash pretty much everything police and military do but the facts are simple.
That's great and all but when it comes to the actual donation pages....
1. Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
2. United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS)
3. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV)
4. American Veterans (AMVETS)
All for veterans.
If you notice in my post I said: "What if by donating to these specific foundations other homeless people who don't happen to be veterans are missing out?"
Without police officers, there is no civil order. The country would fall to chaos. Murders would go unsolved, crimes would occur. The best way to put it, The Purge would become reality.
Without our Military, Those insurgents who are engaging our forces overseas could be the next ones to smuggle a nuclear weapon into New York City and kill 2 million people. Without our military, Germany could have been the first country to develop a nuclear weapon and took control over the United States ending that freedom you currently enjoy.
That's great and all but I didn't say they weren't worth anything. I asked why they were worth more than regular homeless people.
Without homeless roofer A a child wouldn't have a roof over his head and would freeze to death on a rainy night. Same logic, but who cares about homeless roofer A?
So before you ask why they have preference, The men and women of the United States military, ME. We gave our blood so that Americans can enjoy the freedoms that make this country so great and if you have anything negative to say about that then don't respond.
Does that mean that homeless people who go to a blood bank and donate some of their blood to help people who need blood transfusions should get preference too?
I'll respond if I want to, it's your topic, not your website. Stop acting like it is.
Also, if you did some research, some of the organizations i listed actually help homeless people in general whether they are veterans or not. But i don't think you did, did you?
No of course not..
No I didn't, thanks for correcting me. Unlike you I'm not afraid of being wrong, I actually prefer it because it means I've learnt something rather than just grand-standing.
I still think you should have made this topic much more general than just homeless veterans and included donation links to general homelessness charities.
Your militaristic bias is blatantly obvious and you're going to have to try a lot harder than, "Some of them donate some stuff to general homeless people" to get around that.
I'm not a liberal.
And I guess it looks like I got you to talk politics. Whoops indeed.
Helping people has nothing to do with politics. He chose to speak about veterans specifically because he's part of that brotherhood, and thats something you wouldn't understand. Vets fought for this country, for me and you, and our freedoms. And I'm not ashamed to say that they do deserve to be taken better care of. I would rather give my money to a homeless vet, than a homeless person who hasn't done anything with their life.
It's big of you to admit that, I just wish Glock could do the same.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling you all out for liking the military. I'm calling you all out on the ethics of putting military veterans over regular people.
If military veterans were really all about helping the American people then surely they would be annoyed by this too? Equality and all that they fought for?
That doesn't make much sense if you're giving people preference over others.
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#8. Posted:
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Status: Offline
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Glock- wroteLieutenantGaz wrote This burden should be placed on the men that send them to fight their wars, but instead we are left to take care of their baggage. Highest GDP, lackluster social nets. 'Murica.This is NOT the place for a political discussion.
Simply put,
Take your shit somewhere else.
It is political, and calling on people to do individual charity is ineffective. The government that sends these kids to war should be responsible for what they do to them. It isn't my responsibility, nor is it yours. By making it your responsibility, you lift the burden from the people that are the problem. To actually fix this problem, as stated, the country with the highest GDP, which is ours, should have stronger safety nets. That's how you fix it, not public displays of charity, regardless of your intentions. So, shift your efforts to petitioning the government and create real change.
Don't cry now, OK?
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#9. Posted:
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Motto: "If love is just a word then why does it hurt so much when you realize it isn't there" - Gaara
Motto: "If love is just a word then why does it hurt so much when you realize it isn't there" - Gaara
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Motto: "If love is just a word then why does it hurt so much when you realize it isn't there" - Gaara
It's sad when the Veterans that serve and protect the country end up homeless.
It's sad when anybody ends up homeless but damn man when it happens to military people its heartbreaking even more.
It's sad when anybody ends up homeless but damn man when it happens to military people its heartbreaking even more.
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#10. Posted:
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I apologize in advance as what I am about to say has a huge chance of offending a lot of you and probably changing the way you view me. With that said I will put a spoil on it so if you don't want to see my unpopular opinion you don't have to. If you do, more power to you.
I travel and I see plenty of homeless and it's pretty simple to see why they're homeless on a basic level, they can't help themselves. I'll stay on topic of veterans as that's what this topic is about and what annoys me so bad.
First off we do have a lot of homeless vets. Why? As I said, they can't help themselves. How many programs like train a vet do we see? How many major companies advertise that they hire vets before regular civilians? How many help lines are there for vets? There is a lot to get them back in the work force, especially in the retail and construction industry.
The excuses are always the same. "I don't have a phone so they can't contact me", or "I don't have a house so I can't get a job". I know that a lot of shelters will let you use their address as your to get a job, and prepaid phones aren't that expensive, and I'm sure that there are programs to get vets phones (I know there are programs to get the disabled phones).
From the sounds of it, these vets get out of the service and don't know what to do after so they just don't look, or they look and they don't want to do X job. Why is it so difficult to apply for section 8 housing when you get out? Why is it so difficult to put in your application saying your a vet fresh out of the service in need of a job? Why is it so difficult to get $50 for a phone? Why is it so difficult to go to a truck stop and spend the $2-$5 for a shower for a job interview? At the end of the day it might be hard, but it's not impossible. These people look at it as a huge mountain to overcome and they just never start the climb.
Now sure, there are some who's significant other left them and took the house, kids, car, and half the money / belongings so it might be a little hard for them. Do you know how much money they make? They actually do make a lot of money pan handling, however they would rather spend it on cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol before they use it to further their life.
Anyway, that's my unpopular opinion and the homeless crisis is sad, however some people aren't willing to help themselves and that is most of the homeless population. I simply won't even think about donating to a homeless person if I see they smoke or if they look like a druggy or alcoholic. The joke when we're on the road is we don't donate unless they're missing a limb (boss man gave $100 to a guy missing a leg but won't donate to anyone else). It's true, if you have all your limbs and you take a shower and have decent clothes, you have the means to get a job and help yourself. If your missing a limb that might be more difficult as it limits what jobs you can get.
I travel and I see plenty of homeless and it's pretty simple to see why they're homeless on a basic level, they can't help themselves. I'll stay on topic of veterans as that's what this topic is about and what annoys me so bad.
First off we do have a lot of homeless vets. Why? As I said, they can't help themselves. How many programs like train a vet do we see? How many major companies advertise that they hire vets before regular civilians? How many help lines are there for vets? There is a lot to get them back in the work force, especially in the retail and construction industry.
The excuses are always the same. "I don't have a phone so they can't contact me", or "I don't have a house so I can't get a job". I know that a lot of shelters will let you use their address as your to get a job, and prepaid phones aren't that expensive, and I'm sure that there are programs to get vets phones (I know there are programs to get the disabled phones).
From the sounds of it, these vets get out of the service and don't know what to do after so they just don't look, or they look and they don't want to do X job. Why is it so difficult to apply for section 8 housing when you get out? Why is it so difficult to put in your application saying your a vet fresh out of the service in need of a job? Why is it so difficult to get $50 for a phone? Why is it so difficult to go to a truck stop and spend the $2-$5 for a shower for a job interview? At the end of the day it might be hard, but it's not impossible. These people look at it as a huge mountain to overcome and they just never start the climb.
Now sure, there are some who's significant other left them and took the house, kids, car, and half the money / belongings so it might be a little hard for them. Do you know how much money they make? They actually do make a lot of money pan handling, however they would rather spend it on cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol before they use it to further their life.
Anyway, that's my unpopular opinion and the homeless crisis is sad, however some people aren't willing to help themselves and that is most of the homeless population. I simply won't even think about donating to a homeless person if I see they smoke or if they look like a druggy or alcoholic. The joke when we're on the road is we don't donate unless they're missing a limb (boss man gave $100 to a guy missing a leg but won't donate to anyone else). It's true, if you have all your limbs and you take a shower and have decent clothes, you have the means to get a job and help yourself. If your missing a limb that might be more difficult as it limits what jobs you can get.
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