The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Follow Up to Pathways into Homelessness among Post-9/11 Era Veterans Stephen Metraux, Ph. D US Dept. of Veterans Affairs University of Delaware A Briefing in Ten Questions National Coalition of Homeless Veterans May 31, 2018

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Homelessness Among Post 9/11 Veterans - Much concern - Little research - Many facets Ten Questions – Brief Responses - Key themes - Key findings - What remains unknown

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #1: What makes homelessness among post-9/11 era veterans different? • Circumstances • Military Features • Civilian Features

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #2: Are post-9/11 era veterans at higher risk for homelessness? • “Tsunami” of homelessness? • Rising tide • Risk vs. demographics

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #3: Are post-9/11 era veterans becoming homeless sooner after military separation? • Role of transition period • Homelessness as a descent (not a plunge) • Transition Homelessness

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Pathways Study - Transitioning • 6 of 17 became homeless <2 years after discharge • "It is pretty much like us veterans, we get out. A lot of us are not smart with our money while we are in because you do not think that your career is going to end when it does. I would not say it sneaks up on you. But pretty much you are not – basically, you are not prepared. " ~ Fred

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #4: How does deployment to Iraq and/or Afghanistan impact risk for homelessness? • Deployment • Combat • At best, modest impacts

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Pathways Study – War Experiences • "I had a lot of good, life changing experiences over there and…I saw a lot of things and did things that I carry with me…we were constantly in the middle of the night waking up and having to put [on] our gear and make a mad dash to the bunkers. I don’t know how many times I had to do that just wake up on the middle night and hear incoming and hear the air raid siren and just… it was quite an experience. " ~ Marco

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #5: Do PTSD and TBI increase the risk for homelessness? • PTSD – it’s complicated • PTSD – becoming vs. being homeless • TBI – no apparent connections

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Pathways Study – PTSD "I was doing pretty good with [managing my PTSD] and then when all that [i. e. , homelessness] happened it was just too much, overwhelming and things just slowly slipped out of my hands and I just couldn’t handle it. " ~ Marco “It is harder for me to make it with my PTSD. I do not really talk to many people. My wife is the one who had me talk to the neighbor. We started clicking. He is letting us rent the house. ” ~ Quentin

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #6: How does gender influence risks and circumstances related to homelessness? • Demographics • Services needed • Impact of MST

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #7: Has eliminating the draft increased veteran homelessness? • Post-Vietnam experience • Recruiting during two wars • National Guard, Reserve & “stop loss” "When I got back, I reenlisted for another duty station. I went to Fort Carson. When I got there, they were on the verge of deploying. I told them. I said, look, I just got back from Afghanistan. … They would say hey, you were with the Fourth ID. We deploy no matter, if you just got back or not. We deployed. I deployed with them. It was hectic dealing with my family issues, and just getting back, and being sent right back again. “ ~ Fred (from Pathways interviews)

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #8: Do misconduct-related discharges lead to homelessness? • Increased numbers of misconduct discharges • Strong links to homelessness • Individual and institutional issues “Yeah, so anyway, he (supervisor) kicked me out of MWR, so then I got into, so the gunner was chewing me out. So, at this point, I started kind of, it was a decline, a mental decline, a morale decline, yeah. And, then I started asking for psychological help or the chaplain, I was always at the chaplain That was it, that was the _____ straw that broke the camel’s back. . So, when we got back to port, finally, and I just did my third tour. . . I was going to see my wife and daughter. They told me that day we came back, since you’re the only one that got in trouble out to sea, you’re going to be discharged. ” ~ Lincoln (from Pathways interviews)

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #9: How has the economy contributed to homelessness among post-9/11 era veterans? • Higher unemployment • No differential housing access • Individual vs. population perspectives

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Pathways – Employment • I can work but I don’t feel I can sustain long-term employment… Nobody’s going to deal with the issues that I have… I don’t know what’s more frustrating – the fact that what I have to deal with and not knowing what’s wrong or…just not knowing and not knowing what ailments… It’s just…mentally and physically I just…I’m not what I used to be and it’s hard because just…I look perfectly fine but I’m not. ~ Marco

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness #10: What is the outlook for homelessness among post-9/11 era veterans? • Open-ended cohort • Long life course • Prevention

The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Promoting data-driven, evidence-based solutions to end Veteran homelessness Stephen Metraux & R. Tyson Smith. “Homelessness Risk among Post-9/11 Era Veterans. ” Forthcoming in Homelessness Among U. S. Veterans: Critical Perspectives (Jack Tsai, editor) New York: Oxford University Press https: //stephenmetraux. com/s/metraux-smith-post-911 -veteran-homelessness-g 2 nc. pdf Stephen Metraux (2018). “Homelessness among recent U. S. Veterans in 10 questions. ” VA – National Center for Homelessness Among Veterans. http: //www. veterans. idaho. gov/news/research-brief-homelessness-among-recent-veterans-10 -questions Stephen Metraux, Meagan Cusack, Thomas H. Byrne, Nora Hunt-Johnson, & Gala True (2017). "Pathways Into Homelessness Among Post-9/11 -Era Veterans" Psychological Services 14(2): 229 -237 https: //www. va. gov/HOMELESS/nchav/research/Special_Issue. asp#ten www. stephenmetraux. com