Why Veterans Become Homeless

Homeless veterans differ from the general homeless population in a variety of ways. Homeless veterans are more likely to:

• Be older and better educated
• Have more health problems
• Suffer from mental illness and alcohol dependence or abuse
• Work day jobs
• Never have been married

A study of Vietnam-era veterans cited in a 2007 report to Congress evaluated why veterans became homeless. The study found that variables present in veterans’ lives prior to military service had a significant direct relationship to homelessness and cited the following reasons:

• Belonging to a racial or ethnic minority
• Childhood poverty
• Parental mental illness
• Exposure to physical or sexual abuse prior to age 18
• Exposure to other traumatic experiences, such as experiencing a serious accident
• Placement in foster care prior to age 16

The report went on to say that military factors did not have a direct relationship to homelessness. However, combat exposure and participation in atrocities did contribute to post-military variables:

• Low levels of social support upon returning home
• Psychiatric disorders, not including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Substance abuse disorders
• Unmarried status, including separation and divorce.

Post-military variables, in turn, contributed directly to homelessness.

Other studies have found that PTSD was significantly related to problems in interpersonal relationships, unemployment and substance abuse. These conditions are considered risk factors for homelessness.