"The Forgotten Americans-Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve", released December 8, 1999 by the Interagency Council on the Homeless is their National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) done in 1996. You can visit www.huduser.org and download the NSHAPC reports from there. The following highlights a bit of the veteran-specific information from the report.

Veteran Statistics:

• 23% of homeless population are veterans
• 33% of male homeless population are veterans
• 47% Vietnam Era
• 17% post Vietnam
• 15% pre Vietnam
• 67% served three or more years
• 33% stationed in war zone
• 25% have used VA Homeless Services
• 85% completed high school/GED compared to 56% of non-veterans
• 89% received Honorable Discharge
• 79% reside in central cities
• 16% reside in suburban areas
• 5% reside in rural areas
• 76% experience alcohol, drug, or mental health problems
• 46% white males compared to 34% non-veterans
• 46% age 45 or older compared to 20% non-veterans

  Service needs:

• 45% help finding job
• 37% finding housing

  How many homeless veterans are there?

  Accurate numbers community-by-community is not available. Some communities do annual counts others do an estimate based on a variety of factors. Contact the closest Department of Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Homeless Coordinator or the office of your mayor or other presiding government to get local information.

  The Urban Institute in conjunction with the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) done in 1996 projected that: during a year, 2.3 - 3.5 million people are homeless in America that would then indicate by taking 23% of that range for veterans, there are 529,000 - 840,000 homeless veterans over a year.

  To get the full report "Helping America's Homeless" published by The Urban Institute Press, 2001 visit www.urban.org

  Why are veterans homeless?

  In addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homelessness… extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income, and access to health care… a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse, compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.

  A top priority is secure, safe, clean housing that is free of drugs and alcohol, and has a supportive environment.

  While "most homeless people are single, unaffiliated men… most housing money in existing federal homelessness programs, in contrast, is devoted to helping homeless families or homeless women with dependent children," according to "Is Homelessness a Housing Problem?" in Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives published by Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997.

  This information was taken from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans website at http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm#facts.

  According to NCHV’s Report to the Nation: Providing Reasonable Estimates of Homeless Veterans in America on any Given Night (1994), there are approximately 15,470 homeless veterans in the state of Texas.