Today is
Veterans Day — a day set aside to honor and celebrate military veterans who
have given so much for our country.
This morning, News 12’s Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Lonnie Sherman to talk about
the several issues facing veterans today.
the founder and president of General Needs – a non-profit
that focuses on helping thousands of homeless Long Island veterans and their
families through charitable donations and support.
A new report shows the number of veterans in the United States experiencing
homelessness dropped by 11% since 2020, the biggest decline in more than five
years. However, the count from Veterans Affairs shows there were 33,136 homeless veterans in January of this
year.
Food insecurity is another issue veterans are facing. It
has been found that Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and veteran women have a
higher risk of food insecurity, with a 2018 study finding that 27.6% of veteran
women are “food insufficient.”
Meanwhile,
according to a 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 6,261 veterans took their own lives in
2019, accounting for 13.7% of suicides among American adults. This equates to
roughly 17 veteran suicides a day in that year.
According to a recent study, veterans experience
mental health disorders, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress, and
traumatic brain injury at higher rates compared to civilians.
