Perhaps the tough times have beaten me down too often, but one of the saddest parts of my day are listening to other homeless veterans describe what they want to do after recovery.
They want to help other veterans.
You wonder why this might be sad. It’s because it’s what I’ve been doing. And I understand that it takes so much more than good intentions, and that the policies that will truly help us like dedicated housing and removal of red tape from the VA will meet resistance at every turn.
And while my situation is dire, there are many homeless veterans among me that haven’t met the other part of that cruel reality.
That there are neighborhoods that don’t want to house veterans because they believe we’re all drug addicts and criminals.
That the VA is a hardened political monolith, where bad employees who do wrong by veterans every day aren’t fired but instead transferred upon discovery of their conduct.
And most painfully, the fact that the odds are already against us and that no one wants veterans in our homeless condition. They only want us for parades and pictures during holidays.
You may think this is a pessimistic frame of mind. You’re right to an extent.
There have been some who have climbed out in the past and become great success stories. But those stories are few and far in between.
I pray that our results will improve. No one who wore a uniform that defended our freedom should have to worry about where they’re going to sleep at night.
But here we are. Here I am. We need to do better.
Dear Readers: Times are very tough right now. You can help out the blog below. If you have any questions please write me at torres.fjr@gmail.com
Next: Read how homeless veterans are getting the specialized care we’ve earned HERE
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