26-05-2025
Remember homeless Pennsylvania veterans this Memorial Day
The Fallen Soldier Memorial is located at the University of Montana in Missoula. (Tim Lambert/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
When I began teaching courses on homelessness and poverty at Gettysburg College more than 20 years ago, I regularly noted to my students that I often found common cause with a wide range of people from across the political spectrum when it came to seeking solutions and providing services for homeless veterans.
While some people certainly still make the right noises in this regard, the current obsession with wiping the slate of the federal government clean and starting from scratch now is putting many veterans at-risk.
Homelessness is a tragedy that affects far too many Americans, and the reality is that'[h]omelessness remains more common among veterans compared to non-veterans.' Veterans are especially vulnerable to a number of risk factors related to homelessness, including substance abuse, PTSD, mental health issues, low income, and economic instability.
Unfortunately, veterans who fall into homelessness are also particularly prone to remaining unhoused, as research indicates that, '98% of homeless veterans have a chronic pattern of homelessness.' As the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs notes in this regard: 'For some, taking off the uniform and acclimating to a non-military life comes with social challenges and can ultimately lead to hard times, such as being homeless. U.S. military veterans are estimated to make up a large portion – 11 percent – of homeless adults.'
Although PTSD and related disorders certainly loom large amongst the risk factors for veteran homelessness, it is important to keep in mind that the number one reason for homelessness in America today is actually the lack of affordable housing. As reported in the Independent in its recent coverage of Elon Musk's baseless claim that 'the word 'homeless' is a 'lie' and 'a propaganda word,'' the reality in the United States today is that '[t]he primary driver of homelessness, particularly among families, is a lack of stable affordable housing, with evictions, overcrowded housing, domestic violence and job losses sending homeless families into shelters and onto the streets.'
Currently, the curtailing of rental assistance seems poised to tip tens of thousands more Americans out of housing. Experts suggest that many of us are more vulnerable to such risks than we'd like to imagine, and veterans are especially so. Given this reality, it is particularly alarming that under the Trump Administration, the VA recently 'has ended a new mortgage-rescue program that so far has helped about 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure and keep their homes.'
As did the Obama Administration before him, Trump has claimed that he will end veteran homelessness. It is only fair to note that the Obama Administration had some successes in striving towards that goal. In this current environment, however, it is difficult to reconcile Trump's rhetoric in this regard with sweeping executive actions demolishing some of the key federal players in this effort. To cite one staggering recent example, '[t]he US Interagency Council on Homelessness, which helps coordinate federal housing aid to cities, was targeted for elimination by a Trump executive order in March.' Moreover, according to the New York Times, the president seeks to end permanent supportive housing for an estimated 300,000 people considered chronically homeless. Many are veterans.
Veterans are more vulnerable than the general population to the sweeping demolishment of the federal government. This is not simply because the 'Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to cut 83,000 jobs, slashing employment by over 17% at the federal agency that provides health care for millions of veterans' It is also in part because 'nearly 30% of federal workers are veterans, half of whom are disabled. This means that veterans, who make up 6.1% of the U.S. population, are disproportionately affected by federal worker cuts.'
Because the vast bulk of the VA workforce provides veteran healthcare, 'cuts to VA workers mean cuts to health care.' Since veterans as a group rely so heavily on Medicaid, cuts to that program disproportionately disadvantage veterans. Furthermore, because '[w]orking-age veterans face an elevated risk of experiencing food insecurity compared to their nonveteran peers,' cuts to food assistance programs also hit veterans harder than other groups.
The news is not all bad, and in our own region in Pennsylvania, efforts to help house homeless Vets have been laudable and even inspiring. For example, a tiny home project for veterans experiencing homelessness opened last year in Harrisburg. In addition, the commonwealth offers VETConnect Services, and there are a number of local private organizations dedicated to helping veterans at risk of homelessness. This includes a dedicated veteran aspect of the 211 program, which allows those in need of services to dial 211 to find help.
In the end, though, only on the national level can we find the resources to coordinate efforts and to tackle challenges on this scale. In any case, it is only reasonable to expect the federal government that recruited and ordered these veterans into harm's way to take the lead in seeking to offer them whatever services they need.
I am a Pennsylvania Quaker, a member of the pacifist religious organization that founded this Commonwealth. Quakers do not embrace military service, to be sure, but we do embrace ideals of honor, service, and integrity, and we believe strongly in honoring social contracts.
If someone feels moved by their conscience to perform military service and is true to their ideals, I do not condemn that person. Indeed, many such folks number amongst my closest friends, and even some of my family members. I believe that those who serve this country selflessly in any capacity deserve recognition and support for doing so, and not merely in terms of lip service.
If a veteran's military experience results in the need for special accommodations, medical care, drug or alcohol rehabilitation, housing assistance, or similar services, I think that we should take special care to meet such needs.
My own father, a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, died homeless in 1988. He was a chronic alcoholic and estranged from his family, so I am sure that there are those out there who will claim that he brought his fate upon himself. I have always maintained, however, that we can do better as a nation, and that civilized people care for the most vulnerable amongst the population without regard to blame or shame.
I have spent much of my adult life trying my best to live this truth, through regular active service in my community, through educational opportunities for my students, and through leadership roles on boards and within service organizations.
Veterans Day was established to remember those who have fallen in defense of this country. Let us also remember on that day those who have served with honor but have fallen on hard times.
Christopher Fee has taught service-learning courses on homelessness, poverty, affordable housing, and rural education for over twenty years. Fee is Graeff Professor of English at Gettysburg College and a Member of the Eisenhower Institute College Advisory Board. Fee is a Member of Menallen Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Fee is also Co-Clerk of the American Friends Service Committee Northeast Region.
