(MintPress) – With nearly 70,000 U.S. veterans homeless, the Obama Administration is attempting to make good on its promise to eradicate the issue through a new grant program aimed at assisting public and nonprofit organizations by reaching out to those who go without shelter in a country they once sacrificed to serve.
To assist veterans off the street, the program focuses on job training, with the argument that it serves as the missing piece for those who return from war without training necessary to succeed within the civilian sector.
The $15 million U.S. Department of Labor grant program, announced Tuesday, will be dispersed among 64 organizations, with a goal of reaching roughly 8,600 homeless vets. While it may be a step in the right direction, it leaves more than 50,000 vets in the shadows.
Those on the receiving end of grants were put through a competitive process, in which organizations deemed their worthiness through familiarity with specific locations and populations in need, along with examples of success in reaching out to homeless veterans.
“Today, the Department of Labor is taking an important step to help homeless veterans reintegrate into the American labor force,” Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said in a press release.
“This is a complicated challenge that requires ‘all hands on deck’ response. Our grantees span communities across the country, from the District of Columbia to Puerto Rico, we salute them for their commitment to assist those who’ve served.”
In 2009, the official plan to draw down on homelessness was revealed, along with a plan that identified key strategies that would lead to its success. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric K. Shinseki announced the comprehensive plan, saying he shared Obama’s vision to end veteran homelessness within five years, or by 2014.
“Our plan enlarges the scope of VA’s efforts to combat homelessness,” Shinseki said in a press release. “In the past, VA focused largely on getting homeless veterans off the streets. Our five-year plan aims also at preventing them from ever ending up homeless.”
Within that plan was an approach to look at the emotional repercussions of war that lead many to the streets, along with programs to help veterans get back to school and give incentives to start small businesses.
Since the implementation of the program, the nation has seen a decrease in the number of homeless vets. From 2010 to 2011, the country saw a 12 percent drop in veterans living on the street, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Statistics for homeless vets in the U.S. vary. The most commonly used number is derived from a survey taken in January 2011, which indicated that, on one night, 67,495 veterans were sleeping on the streets, according to VA. However, the VA estimates that at least 144,842 vets spent a night in transitional housing or an emergency shelter at least once within a given year.
In combating the problem, the VA also looks at those who are at risk of becoming a statistic. Those considered at-risk homeless are those who are living in poverty, have little connection to family and friends and are suffering from mental health issues. Because of this, the VA assists roughly 150,000 veterans to receive health care, with other services provided to around 112,000 vets.
The VA looks at what it refers to as the “Six Pillars of the Homeless Initiative,” which include community partnerships, income/employment/benefits, housing/supportive services, outreach/education, prevention and treatment.
The newly announced $15 million grant program falls under the community partnership pillar, focusing on pairing with those in communities who better understand the needs of local homeless vets.