Veteran Homelessness / Topics & Posted Articles

Yes RCN your a true Canadian soldier threw and threw. you got honor and respect from me buddy.

Great job, RCN!

I am glad to hear that this gentleman may be receiving help. I saw the news story today and it just upset me to no end. About 3 months ago a person I know from my serving days indicated on FB that as an advocate for the homeless he found a veteran on the streets of Victoria and queried if anyone could help. Having an empty cabin in the off season I stepped up and have given him a home for the winter at no charge. Regretfully I cannot help all but let's hope that VAC and this new warm fuzzy government we have can also step up to help the rest.

Prawnstar.......most excellent!!

Many talk the talk but can't walk the walk......thank you for being a kind and caring human being.....Aces man

Riddick

Thanks Sparrow I feel better now.

That is really wonderful news prawnstar ~ you did a great thing!

I just got an email from my OSIS contact and he will initiate action tomorrow. Lets hope this guy gets the help he deserves.

Prawnstar, I also sent a message with the details of Mr. Crossman to VETS Canada Jim Lowther via their website ~ I believe they have volunteers in Victoria who are on the ground and could help as well. Let's hope some positive can come for this Veteran.

ELB Has to be automatic no ifs and's or but's about it. Also the amount of homeless female vet's sicken's me and pisses me off like i said many months ago some cannot fight for themselves and i was criticized well has your attitudes changed. My wife is the only reason im not in the same boat. It's an injury that is worse then a mangled leg you just cannot fight the only option is quit and give up or implode or explode. I was a hermit for 8 years little to no contact with people had no use for them. explained all this and more to vac in my declaration not in a polite fashion maybe their finally getting it through their policy making thick heads. expect more respect for their situation from fellow vet's. the only ones i ever seen who had an easy go of things had their nose up someones ass.

Being the devil's advocate I often play......I don't believe VAC should be responsible for every veterans well being.......unless their demise is because of the military....however, having said that....

When I was in the military I recall on many occasions hearing young privates with families needing to use the food bank!!.......Are soldiers any different or better than the general population??? I suppose in some respects there should be double standards or concessions. You need to be 19 yrs old to legally drink.....but frack man....if you are old enough to carry a rifle and fight for your country and give your life then you ARE without question old enough to gall darn drink alcohol.

Not everyone is a financial wizard and knows how to invest money and make it last. Heck I had a lump sum award but when my marriage dissolved guess who got half of it! should VAC cough up what I lost??? Of course not, regardless how awesome that would be.

I have no solution......but IMO VAC can't pay for everything. What is the difference between a Corporal and a Private......a year in some cases and possible a Qualification Level....but does that warrant the big difference in pay that there is?? not IMO.

As for the vets who are down on their luck...hmmmmm.....feed a man fish....feed him for a day....teach him how to fish.....feed him for life. How can one survive without a job when one is no longer able to hold down/qualify get or keep or job. Frig I don't know how many losers are on welfare and are in their 20's.........how come veterans who may have only spent 10 years in the military but sacrificed their life and QOL are not able to get this social assistance........that is what I believe to be wrong with the system......it's a sin that a POS (piece of shat) that is barely old enough to wipe their arse can get money from the government to get an apartment........and food....heat...etc but a veteran does not....what....qualify....give me a frackin break.

Riddick

I have a contact at OSIS in Vancouver that I just sent the link to this story. He is the one that pulled me out of the ditch a few years ago so I trust he will do the same for this poor guy.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-s-homeless-war-veterans-seek-help-from-national-support-group-1.3392598


Alberta's homeless war veterans seek help from national support group

'Not a good news story when we hear it,' Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr says

Dozens of former soldiers in Alberta have turned to a national organization for support after they found themselves living on the streets.

Debbie Lowther, co-founder of Vets Canada, said in the past three-and-a-half years her organization has helped about 200 veterans in Alberta, one of three provinces where the organization is most active. The other two are B.C. and Ontario.
■At least 2,250 veterans are homeless, according to groundbreaking analysis

"Lots of times when military personnel release, sometimes they'll stay in the area where they are, and Edmonton is a large base," she said.

"A lot of people will, when they get out of the military, get into the oil industry, and sometimes that doesn't work out because they have that difficult process of transitioning from military life to civilian life."

A March 2015 study by Employment and Social Development Canada suggests 2,250 veterans use shelters on a regular basis, a number that has jumped by 236 since 2013.

The numbers were obtained through an access-to-information request by the Canadian Press.

Canada's mission in Afghanistan

Lowther said the spike is likely a result of Canada's mission in Afghanistan, as a majority of her clients are now dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression related to their service.

"Sometimes those things don't come out for several years after a traumatic event," she said.

"So there are people who may have served in Afghanistan five years ago, and it's just kind of starting to come to light now that they have issues that have not been dealt with."

Transitioning from military to civilian life is the "No. 1 reason" former soldiers end up on the streets, said Lowther, whose organization is based in Halifax but also assists many homeless veterans in Ontario and British Columbia.

She said the problem is even greater than the federal estimate suggests because it does not take into account vets who are couch surfing or living in substandard conditions.

"This is not a good news story when we hear it," Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr told CBC on Wednesday.

'Shocked and stunned'

"And Canadians are rightfully shocked and stunned when they hear of homeless veterans. These men and women have served our country honourably, and we have to ensure they're getting the best opportunity to succeed."

He said his ministry is working aggressively to reverse the trend by reopening nine veterans' affairs offices shut down by the former government, likely by the end of the year, and by hiring 400 additional frontline workers to connect veterans with provincial services.

Hehr said rather than the the "ad hoc" approach of the former government, Ottawa would tackle the issue through social infrastructure investments, a national housing strategy and work with its provincial counterparts.

Despite the increase in the number of soldiers living on the street, Lowther said the federal government is on the right track, leaving her feeling "hopeful."

She said veterans affairs is cutting red tape which makes it  easier to access services and providing support earlier on to soldiers transitioning into civilian life.

prawnstar wrote:I just saw a heart wrenching story on CHEK news in Victoria. There is a homeless camp on provincial property in front of the court house. They interviewed a man who said he is a vet who did 2 tours in Bosnia and i think at least one in the Ghan. This guy is a train wreck. He has no place to stay he was so emotional he could hardly speak. If there is anyone in Victoria that can reach out to him it would be nice. I would drive there myself if it weren't so far. I think his last name was Cross. They haven't put the link up on their website yet. Any Vancouver Island residents or others that can help look at the CHEK.ca website for the story.

http://www.cheknews.ca/watch-homeless-war-veteran-shares-emotional-plea-128428/
Thank you prawnstar

I just saw a heart wrenching story on CHEK news in Victoria. There is a homeless camp on provincial property in front of the court house. They interviewed a man who said he is a vet who did 2 tours in Bosnia and i think at least one in the Ghan. This guy is a train wreck. He has no place to stay he was so emotional he could hardly speak. If there is anyone in Victoria that can reach out to him it would be nice. I would drive there myself if it weren't so far. I think his last name was Cross. They haven't put the link up on their website yet. Any Vancouver Island residents or others that can help look at the CHEK.ca website for the story.

Trooper, that catch 22 doesn't just affect those with mental health issues. I know of several veterans who were denied benefits for physical disabilities because they, to paraphrase the VAC denial letters, "didn't complain enough, or seek immediate medical attention". How many times have we all seen someone fall, or get hit by equipment, get up and keep working through the pain, because they didn't want their peers to think of them as weak, or risk getting kicked out, so they self medicate with off the shelf pain meds as long as they can. Well then several years pass, and those injuries now become a disability, except there is no paperwork to support the claim, or only a few visits to the MIR for pain meds.