2. โข 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
โข Homeless Veterans live on the streets in abandoned buildings, vehicles,
encampments, shelters, transitional housing, and it gets worse in rural areas
โข 9% of homeless female Veterans are between the ages of 18 and 30, and
41% are between the ages of 31 and 50
โข Some Veterans Administration doctors say the emotional trauma suffered in
war zones are both a cause and a consequence to homelessness
โข Some Veterans experience a type of culture shock upon returning home
โข Invisible wounds of war are sometimes easier for Veterans to cope with as
outcast to the society they served
3. Hard Facts on Homeless Female Veterans
โข Women Veterans are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population
in the U.S.
โข One out of every 10 homeless Veterans under the age of 45 is now a woman
โข The risk of women Veterans becoming homeless is 4X greater than male
Veterans
โข 1 in 5 women have told their Veterans Hospital healthcare provider that they
experienced military sexual trauma (MST)* while deployed
โข 45% of homeless female Veterans suffer from mental illness including Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
โข 70% of homeless female Veterans suffer from alcohol/substance abuse
โข Homeless female Veterans with little or no financial security for childcare can
end up loosing their children to protective services
4. Homeless Veteran Statistics
โข The nations 1st comprehensive federal program called, "Opening Doorsโ
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.
โข In 2015 there were some 1.4+* million homeless female Veterans in the
U.S. which has been rising due to returning combat Veterans
โข There are 6,500-7,000 (7%) female homeless War Veterans in the U.S.
which has doubled over the last 10 years
โข Florida ranks 3rd in the nation in the number of homeless people and ranks
1st in numbers of homeless female and male Veterans
โข Florida has 140,256+ female Veterans with 5,505+ of those Veterans being
homeless at any given time throughout the Sunshine State
โข 400+ female Veterans are locally based throughout the Tampa Bay area
5. Causes of Homelessness
โข Lack of income due to education
โข Severe shortage of affordable housing
โข Combat related issues mental or physical
โข Anxiety disorder, poor health, disability
โข Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
โข Higher unemployment rates than non-veterans
โข Military sexual trauma (MST)
โข Mental health issues
โข Alcohol/Substance abuse issues
โข Weak or no social network
โข Lack or slow of government, state and local
services
6.
7. ๏ง Homelessness impacts an individual with extreme
sadness, fearfulness, hopelessness, lost of self-esteem,
substance abuse, behavioral problems, suicidal tendencies
๏ง 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
๏ง 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
8. Center for Women Veterans
Established by Congress in 1994
Program Mission
โข Monitor and coordinate the Veterans Administrationsโ health care and
benefits services programs for women Veterans
โข 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
โข Raise awareness of the responsibility to treat women Veterans with
dignity and respect they have earned and deserve
9. Centers for Women Veterans (CWV)
Health Care Exams and Services:
โข History and physical, including pelvic
exam and breast exam
โข Menopause treatment including hormonal
therapy if appropriate
โข Family planning and contraceptive care
โข Infertility evaluation and referrals
โข Maternity care referrals
โข Assessment for heart disease, high blood
pressure and stroke risk
โข Sexual trauma referrals
โข Flu and other vaccines
โข Social work referrals
โข Medication therapy education
Screening for:
โข High blood pressure
โข Breast cancer or fibrocystic disease โ
mammograms
โข Cervical cancer โ Pap test
โข Colorectal cancer Osteoporosis
โข High cholesterol
โข Sexually transmitted diseases
โข Diabetes
โข Nutrition and dietary needs
โข Psychosocial issues that impact your
health
10. Centers for Women Veterans (CWV)
Specialty Services
โข Gynecology Clinic
โข Mental health services
โข Breast care clinic
โข Military sexual trauma (MST)
โข Alcohol/Substance abuse services
โข Trauma-specific services
โข Parenting and child support
Services
โข Healthcare
โข Counseling
โข Outreach and engagements
โข Screening and assessments
โข Resource coordination and
advocacy
โข Crisis intervention
โข Suicide counseling
โข Mental health evaluation
โข Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)
11.
12.
13. References
1. 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.html
3. 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/
Editor's Notes
In 2013, the average age of women Veterans was 48 years, compared to 63 years for their male counterparts
Among users of VA health care, the mental health diagnoses most commonly associated with MST are: PTSD; Depressive Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Bipolar Disorders; Drug and Alcohol Disorders; Schizophrenia and Psychoses.
From 2009-2014 there was approximately 73,367 homeless Veterans nationwide.
The population of women veterans has risen and will continue to rise steadily from 1.1 million in 1980 to 1.2 million in 1990 to 1.6 million in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2010 to 1.9 million in 2020