On any given night in America, whether its one of those recent ones where the temperature is so close to zero your breath seems to freeze, or one of those nights in the middle of July when the maximum setting on the air conditioner isnt providing relief, there are an estimated 62,000 veterans who have no home to go to.
Thats enough to fill almost every seat in Heinz Field on game day.
The reasons are manifold. Returning from combat zones, whether they be in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the increasingly distant conflict in Vietnam, they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or they try to blot out the horrors of what they witnessed through alcohol or drugs. Families can be fractured and friends disappear, and skills that are honed on the battlefield are sometimes not an easy fit for the workaday job market.
With this region containing such a pronounced concentration of veterans, some of these homeless veterans could be on the streets of Washington or Waynesburg, California or Carmichaels.
Fortunately, there has been an increasing level of awareness of the problem in recent years, most notably through a national initiative that aims to reduce homelessness among veterans and, according to reports, it has experienced some success. In Washington, the City Mission will be doing its part when it completes a new shelter by July 2016 that will house up to 22 homeless veterans.
Both the City Mission and Washington City Council, which unanimously approved the plan last Thursday, should be applauded for their efforts.
Set to be located on West Strawberry Avenue near Washingtons police station, it will take up about 12,000 square feet in a spot now occupied by a food services center and a warehouse, and have bedrooms and living areas, as well as a clinic and space for recreation. Right now, the City Mission helps 14 veterans, so this will provide room for eight more veterans who need assistance.
This is the type of program most likely to help homeless veterans resolve the problems that are bedeviling them and regain their bearings. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the most effective ways to aid homeless veterans are community-based endeavors built around the notion of veterans helping fellow veterans. A structured environment where alcohol and drugs are kept at bay and veterans who are solidly on the path to rebuilding their lives serve as examples to fresh arrivals is the best way to help homeless former servicemen, experts believe.
In 2013, this newspaper undertook a yearlong series on homelessness, and we found that there are about 200 homeless veterans in Washington County. The feelings of many homeless veterans were summed up by Paul Nemenz, who served in the Vietnam War: Veterans are the most forgotten and neglected group, not only in Washington, Pa., but in the United States. We were willing to give our all, to separate ourselves from our families and go to foreign lands and do what we were told and what we believed was the right thing. And we got no support when we came back.
Were often told to support the troops. The shelter being built by City Mission is one way to make that support real.
