The New York Times ran an editorial yesterday calling on congress to fully fund homelessness and low-income housing budgets.

NYT Editorial

A Foolish Time to Cut Housing Aid

October 25, 2011

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With record numbers of families teetering on the verge of homelessness, Congress should be shoring up the precious few federal programs that provide affordable housing for the poor, the elderly and the disabled. Instead, both the House and Senate are considering cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development budget, which would hurt cash-strapped states and communities in sheltering the most vulnerable citizens.

The agency spends most of its budget on low-income programs, including on rent vouchers used by nearly two million families and a program that makes it possible for developers to set aside affordable units in multifamily buildings. The Obama administration has asked Congress for about $41.7 billion for the department, roughly the same amount as in each of the past three years. It says that the proposed House budget would provide about $38 billion, and the one in the Senate about $37 billion.

Click here to read the entire editorial.

The Los Angeles Times published an article yesterday about increases in women veteran’s homelessness.  Are you seeing this in your programs?  Are resources available for Veterans and their families from the VA and the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services accessible for your clients?

latimes.com

More women falling into ranks of homeless veterans

Though they didn’t have direct combat roles in Iran and Afghanistan, they suffer many of the stresses that plague male vets — often while trying to raise children alone.

By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times

8:36 PM PDT, October 23, 2011

Reporting from Fayetteville, N.C

As a soldier, Ruth Donaldson was an accomplished ammunition specialist. As a civilian, she became a stressed-out single mother struggling to find a job and raise her child.

After a five-year stint in the Army, Donaldson lost her job at a gas station. She couldn’t pay her rent. She and her 6-year-old son ended up living in a Pontiac Grand Am, hungry, homeless and exhausted.

Women make up a growing number of homeless veterans, a group usually associated with combat-hardened men unable to cope with civilian life. Homelessness among female veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has increased every year for the last six years — from 150 in 2006 to 1,700 this year — according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It just seemed like it was one thing after the other, and I got so far down it was hard to come out of it,” said Donaldson, who moved last month into a shelter for female veterans in Fayetteville.

Female veterans contend with the same stresses that can lead to homelessness among male veterans — brain injuries, drug and alcohol abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. But many women also contend with sexual trauma, domestic abuse and pregnancy — often while trying to raise children alone.

The VA, which has made ending homelessness a priority, says 1 in 5 female veterans report sexual trauma in the military, compared with 1 in 100 men.

Click here to read the full article.