As noted by the Department of Veteran Affairs, even one veteran without safe and stable housing is too many. Ron Littlefield calls for cities to move beyond studies and seek ways to aid returned veterans.
Ron Littlefield, former mayor of Chatanooga and a senior fellow with the Governing Institute, details the ongoing challenge of housing and caring for the country's veterans.
"A number of the municipalities in the City Accelerator initiative identified homelessness among the short list of critical urban issues affecting their communities. It is unquestionably a major problem across the United States," writes Littlefield.
Littlefield goes on to cite recent coverage of efforts to aid homeless veterans, including a series on NPR that focused, among other programs, on San Diego's "Stand Down," a free event offering health, dental and personal care for veterans.
As for why veteran homelessness is an especially acute challenge for cities, Littlefield quotes the following: "The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that homeless veterans mostly live in cities and suffer from mental illness, substance abuse or the lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The challenging statistics are presented in The Wall Street Journal article, 'Veterans Try New Approaches to Heal the Wounds of War,' which notes that in 2012, the VA spent more than $3 billion on PTSD treatment and the Pentagon spent about $294 million more."
FULL STORY: Homeless Veterans' Sacrifices Merit Special Attention
HUD and VA: Homeless Vets Down 12%
The results are in keeping with a federal goal to eliminate veteran homelessness by 2015 through grants and other measures to ensure permanent housing. Steve Vogel reports.
San Diego Camping Ban Set to Take Effect, but Details Remain Murky
The city plans to crack down on unhoused people camping on city property, but has yet to identify parks and school zones targeted for enforcement under the new ordinance.
How San Diego Camping Ban Could Impact Neighborhoods
An ordinance supported by the city’s mayor would bar people from sleeping on the street near shelters or services, but critics say it will simply push people to other neighborhoods and put them farther away from the supportive services they need.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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