United Veterans Beacon House
A Project of the
Veterans of the Vietnam War,
Inc. &
The Veterans Coalition
managed by the Veterans Fund of the United States
Overview/Donations/Working
Bees/Statistics/Volunteerism
MISSION STATEMENT
The United Veterans Beacon House provides
transitional, safe housing for
homeless Veterans as they reintegrate into the
society they willingly
protected through their military service.
United Veterans Beacon House makes a
difference through
advocacy, education, retraining and
employment.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE NOW –
VOLUNTEER TO ASSIST VETERANS
OVERVIEW
The homeless Veteran problem in
the United States is becoming more and more prevalent due to an
increasing national socio-economic crisis, a combined drawdown in
our Nation’s uniformed services, the “dumping” of psychiatric
patients onto our Nation’s streets as well as a host of other
associated reasons.
The Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. & The Veterans Coalition, in
response to the homeless Veteran problem, is operating comprehensive
projects designed to assist the homeless Veteran. This project has
been designated by the VVnW & The Veterans Coalition as the United
Veterans Beacon House Project (UVBH). The United Veterans Beacon
Houses are designed to offer a safe drug/alcohol-free haven, direct
the Veteran to a multitude of support agencies offering assistance,
and provide the Veteran with decent shelter while the Veteran
rebuilds his/her life.
The concept of the UVBH is to provide housing for the Veteran to
allow the Veteran to restructure and rebuild his/her life. The
Veteran is allowed to stay in a UVBH for a period of six months to
two years, a VA requirement. Studies have shown that with this
length of stay, the Veteran has the ability to begin a new working
career, change jobs as upward mobility dictates and amass the
financial resources to become self-sufficient.
During the Veteran’s stay at a UVBH, a full range of services are
provided including drug and alcohol counseling, PTSD counseling,
other psychological and family counseling, life skills training,
full employment counseling and a wide range of medical services.
Each UVBH networks with existing community services and the
Department of Veterans Affairs resources to insure against a
duplication of services.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. &
The Veterans Coalition are committed to continuing and expanding our
United Veterans Beacon House Project. We intend to pursue this
expansion through corporate contributions,
government grants and
programs and through our own fund-raising efforts.
Our final goal is to have UVBHs across the
country. We know that we alone cannot eradicate homelessness
among the Veteran population. However, we will make a difference.
DONATIONS
If you would like to make a tax deductible
donation to the United Veterans Beacon House,
make your check payable to The Veterans Fund of the United States
and mail it to the following address:
The Veterans Fund of the United States
805 South Township Blvd.
Pittston, PA 18640
If you would like to make a donation using
your credit card call
1-800-843-8626 and your donation will be
processed.
We accept all major credit cards
HOMELESS VETERANS STATISTICS
There are an estimated 330,000 Veterans who
are Homeless on any given night
and twice that number experience homelessness
over the course of a year.
1/3 of the homeless have served in the United
States Military.
Most homeless Veterans are male and account
for at least 60% of the Nation's homeless men.
More than 90% of the homeless Veterans are
high school graduates, a third have some college education.
Most are
unemployed, but nearly all have worked in the past year.
The single largest segment of homeless
Veterans, approximately 58%, are from the Vietnam Era. 3% from WWII,
14% Korean War, and 25% from the Post Vietnam Era, including Desert
Storm.
One quarter of homeless Veterans have full or
partial symptoms flashbacks, anxiety, emotional numbing,
depression
of the war related mental illness called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Those with PTSD are more likely to be
unemployed than those without it and up
to six times likely to abuse alcohol and
drugs.
More than half of the homeless Veterans have a
drug or alcohol abuse problem that may have
started or worsened
during their military service.
Between 1/2 and 2/3 of homeless Veterans have
had at least one failed marriage /relationship
strained or broken by
the weight of their problems.
Veterans are homeless for many of the same
reasons that anyone can be homeless:
poor job market, steep housing costs, slashed
social programs, and military downsizing.
The lack of affordable
housing, specifically efficiency apartments and
rooming houses, is a significant problem.
The most effective programs for homeless
Veterans are community-based, non-profit
Vet helping groups. There
are approximately 160 non-profit community-based Veterans’
organizations across the country which demonstrate impressive
success records.
We, the Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. & The Veterans Coalition,
have established
United Veteran Beacon Houses to house homeless
Veterans and it is our goal to have
or to assist one in every State
across America. We can ensure that homeless Veterans will have
a
second chance on life and keep homelessness to a minimum giving
Veterans a hand up – not a hand out.
For more information on the United Veterans Beacon House and the
many other programs of
The Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. &
The Veterans Coalition.
