VA Homeless Programs
Message from Monica Diaz, Executive Director, VHA Homeless Programs Office
April 2022
At VA, we believe every Veteran who has served their nation deserves a safe place to call home, and we believe this goal is obtainable when we all work together.
I am thrilled to announce that we are about to take a major step toward achieving this goal. As part of VA Secretary Denis McDonough’s new goals to end Veteran homelessness announced in February, VA has issued a national challenge to permanently house 38,000 Veterans in 2022. Please keep an eye out for more information on this exciting initiative. I could not be more confident that the people who comprise the VHA Homeless Programs will play an important role in fulfilling this challenge.
As we work to help every Veteran exit homelessness, we must also continue preventing Veterans from entering homelessness by acknowledging the underlying risks unique to the military and Veteran population.
During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we must confront a painful truth: military sexual trauma (MST). MST refers to sexual assault or sexual harassment experienced during military service. In 2021, one in three female and one in 50 male Veterans reported experiences of MST. While fewer males report MST, the number of men in the military is far greater, suggesting a significant number of our male Veterans are also dealing with complications from MST.
Along with a host of harmful physical and mental health outcomes, Veterans who have experienced MST face nearly twice the risk of homelessness than their counterparts who have not. Among the Veterans we serve, we are not always aware of MST; many Veterans avoid reporting or seeking help with related conditions due to feelings of embarrassment, fear of not being believed, or discomfort discussing their experience.
Ensuring our Veterans receive support for conditions relating to MST is imperative to preventing Veteran homelessness, as well as to breaking cycles of trauma that can endure throughout generations if unaddressed. Victims of sexual assault are at increased risk of developing mental health disorders including PTSD and thoughts of suicide, and are more likely to use drugs, have problems adjusting to work environments, or have difficulties maintaining healthy relationships. Each of these consequences is significant on its own, but also presents a risk for other harmful outcomes, including involvement with the justice system.
In April, we also take time to raise awareness about the unique risks of becoming involved with the justice system that Veterans face, and how to support formerly incarcerated Veterans reentering society. Second Chance Month is an important opportunity to understand the cycle of Veteran incarceration and homelessness, described aptly by Marine Veteran and Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court Program Director Kevin Rumley as a “conveyer belt.”
Acknowledging that the risk of experiencing homelessness is 3.5 times higher for male Veterans with a history of incarceration, we must work together to identify the tools and resources we can use to lower the recidivism rate among our Veterans, such as the Health Care for Reentry Veterans program and the Veterans Justice Outreach program.
The proverb “April showers bring May flowers” reminds us that despite difficult conditions, a brighter tomorrow is always waiting. As we take time this month to acknowledge the difficult experiences and stressors facing many Veterans, we must remember that thanks to VHA’s programs and hard work, thousands of Veterans’ hopes of a better tomorrow have become reality. By the end of 2022, this will be true for even more Veterans.
In honor of National Poetry Month, please allow me to conclude by sharing a poem I recently discovered that I feel encapsulates the mission of the VHA Homeless Programs. The poem was written by Rick P. Martinez, a United States Marine Vietnam Veteran and advocate for ending Veteran homelessness:
AMERICA'S PROMISE
If our Veterans are sick let us heal them
If our Veterans are hungry let us feed them
If our Veterans seek employment let us hire them
If our Veterans need a friend let us befriend them
If our Veterans need peace let us pray for them
If our Veterans need a home let us shelter them
For the Veterans who sacrificed for our freedom...
Let us show them
America is grateful
