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Veterans' new war is a bad economy
A U.S. war veteran begs for money on 5th Avenue in New York City
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Bill Radke: Homeless veterans are the subject of a meeting today at the Veteran's Administration in Washington, D.C. The agency says 1 in 3 three men living on the street served in the U.S. military. The crumbling economy and the wave of returning vets could make that statistic even worse. Here's Marketplace's Steve Henn.
Steve Henn: After a tour in the Navy in the early 90's, Kris Bertrand returned home to Minnesota.
Kris Bertrand: You know, it was like I had been gone only four years, but it felt like I had been gone 20.
Bertrand had trouble landing a job and ended up living on the street. Fifteen years ago, there weren't many programs for vets like her. But a social worker found one and got her in.
Bertrand: The program basically saved me life.
Today, Bertrand works in Veterans Affairs in Indiana. She says services for homeless vets are much better than they used to be. But recently, her office has seen an increase in calls for help.
Vanessa Williamson: Foreclosures, losing their homes, losing their apartments.
Vanessa Williamson at the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans Association says many coming back from combat have transition issues.
Williamson: And then you combine that with the stagnating economy, the, you know, dramatic loss of jobs. I think you are going to see a real flood into the homeless programs.
Congress created 10,000 new housing vouchers for low-income vets last year. But officials at the VA say they may need more when the program is running at full speed.
In Washington, I'm Steve Henn for Marketplace.
The reason there are so many homeless veterans is the palty amount disabled veterans receive from the VA. "Non service" disability is $986 a month.
The Catch 22 is that to prove "service connection" and get a pension you may actually be able to live on is almost impossible. If bankers who are trying to get TARP money, say they could not live on $500 K a year, how can a vet live on $986 a month? Disabled vets live in fear of foreclosure and being on the street. This should be a "no brainer." The treatment of veterans is a national disgrace but few care enough to do anything but pay lip service. Money for veterans is the answer not more public relations.
