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Homeless Advocates Urge Greater Focus on Veterans May 27th, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando- While the country remembered the sacrifice of those who died fighting for their country- a reminder from homeless advocates to spare a thought for the soldiers who returned. Finding housing can be an especial challenge for wounded warriors. A recent report commissioned by the Central Florida Commission on homelessness calls for a more concerted effort to get homeless people off the streets and into permanent housing. The commission’s CEO, Andrae Bailey, says one of the keys to solving the problem is understanding how people end up on the streets in the first place. Bailey says he spoke recently to an Orlando man called Larry who has been homeless for six years. He says Larry is an Iraq war veteran who was concussed in a land mine explosion. “Because of his injury, Larry can never work again and can never hold a job in the way that you or I can, so is that person choosing to be homeless or is that just a person who’s in need that a great community will rally around," says Bailey. He says veterans make up a significant proportion of the homeless population. “Traditionally one in three long term homeless people is a veteran that served our country, and paid the price and continues to pay that price on our streets every day. We must focus on helping veterans in our community, we must focus on helping the disabled.” Bailey says helping families who are on the streets is also a key focus for the Commission. He expects significant efforts by local leaders to tackle the problem in the coming months. |
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