Homeless Women Veterans

Homeless Female

Veterans

• The Veterans Administration defines homelessness as a situation whereby a soldier has served in a war zone, now returned home and now has no place of his/her own to live

• Homeless Veterans live on the streets in abandoned buildings, vehicles, encampments, shelters, transitional housing, and it gets worse in rural areas

• 9% of homeless female Veterans are between the ages of 18 and 30, and 41% are between the ages of 31 and 50

• Some Veterans Administration doctors say the emotional trauma suffered in war zones are both a cause and a consequence to homelessness

• Some Veterans experience a type of culture shock upon returning home• Invisible wounds of war are sometimes easier for Veterans to cope with as

outcast to the society they served

Hard Facts on Homeless Female Veterans

• Women Veterans are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the U.S.

• One out of every 10 homeless Veterans under the age of 45 is now a woman• The risk of women Veterans becoming homeless is 4X greater than male

Veterans• 1 in 5 women have told their Veterans Hospital healthcare provider that they

experienced military sexual trauma (MST)* while deployed• 45% of homeless female Veterans suffer from mental illness including Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)• 70% of homeless female Veterans suffer from alcohol/substance abuse • Homeless female Veterans with little or no financial security for childcare can

end up loosing their children to protective services

Homeless Veteran Statistics• The nations 1st comprehensive federal program called, "Opening Doors”

was introduced by the Obama Administration in 2009. Since then there has been a 35% decline in homeless Veterans down to 47,725* in the U.S.

• In 2015 there were some 1.4+* million homeless female Veterans in the U.S. which has been rising due to returning combat Veterans

• There are 6,500-7,000 (7%) female homeless War Veterans in the U.S. which has doubled over the last 10 years

• Florida ranks 3rd in the nation in the number of homeless people and ranks 1st in numbers of homeless female and male Veterans

• Florida has 140,256+ female Veterans with 5,505+ of those Veterans being homeless at any given time throughout the Sunshine State

• 400+ female Veterans are locally based throughout the Tampa Bay area

Causes of Homelessness• Lack of income due to education• Severe shortage of affordable housing• Combat related issues mental or physical• Anxiety disorder, poor health, disability• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),• Higher unemployment rates than non-veterans• Military sexual trauma (MST)• Mental health issues• Alcohol/Substance abuse issues• Weak or no social network• Lack or slow of government, state and local

services

PRESSURE

Homelessness impacts an individual with extreme sadness, fearfulness, hopelessness, lost of self-esteem, substance abuse, behavioral problems, suicidal tendencies

Homelessness can impact the family by increasing the likelihood of family separation, stress on children, behavioral problems, violence, truancy, fearfulness, emotional distress, trauma, malnutrition, neglect, sexual molestation

Homelessness can impact the community by costly upkeep of shelters, day centers and community medical services, cost of panhandling to tax payers, cost of high crime rates to neighborhoods, environmental impact on society due to, trash, waste, etc.

Impact of Homelessness

Center for Women Veterans Established by Congress in 1994

Program Mission• Monitor and coordinate the Veterans Administrations’ health care and

benefits services programs for women Veterans• Serve as an advocate for a cultural transformation (both within

Veterans Administration and in the general public) in recognizing the service and contributions of women Veterans and women in the military

• Raise awareness of the responsibility to treat women Veterans with dignity and respect they have earned and deserve

Centers for Women Veterans (CWV)

Health Care Exams and Services:• History and physical, including pelvic exam and

breast exam• Menopause treatment including hormonal therapy

if appropriate• Family planning and contraceptive care• Infertility evaluation and referrals• Maternity care referrals• Assessment for heart disease, high blood pressure

and stroke risk• Sexual trauma referrals• Flu and other vaccines• Social work referrals• Medication therapy education

Screening for:• High blood pressure• Breast cancer or fibrocystic disease –

mammograms• Cervical cancer – Pap test• Colorectal cancer Osteoporosis• High cholesterol• Sexually transmitted diseases• Diabetes• Nutrition and dietary needs• Psychosocial issues that impact your health

Centers for Women Veterans (CWV)Specialty Services

• Gynecology Clinic• Mental health services• Breast care clinic• Military sexual trauma (MST)• Alcohol/Substance abuse services• Trauma-specific services• Parenting and child support

Services• Healthcare• Counseling

• Outreach and engagements• Screening and assessments• Resource coordination and

advocacy • Crisis intervention• Suicide counseling • Mental health evaluation• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

(PTSD)

Building a Community for Homeless Female Veterans 4:55 min

References1. Department of Veteran Affairs (2015), No Veteran Should Be Without a Place to Call

Home, Retrieved March 20, 2016 from Website: http://www.va.gov/homeless/2. National Coalition for the Homeless (2009), Homeless Veterans, Retrieved March 20,

2016 from Website: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/veterans.html3. National Alliance to End Homelessness (2015), Ending Veteran Homelessness,

Resources for the Final Stretch, Retrieved March 20, 2016 from Website: http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/ending-veteran-homelessness-resources

4. Department of Veteran affairs (2015), Center for Women Veterans (CWV), Retrieved March 20, 2016 from Website: http://www.va.gov/womenvet/cwv/index.asp

5. Politifact (2015), Obama says Veteran homelessness has been cut by a third, Retrieved March 20, 2016 from website: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jul/28/barack-obama/obama-says-veteran-homelessness-has-been-cut-third/