Veteran’s Day is one day a year that is supposed to be dedicated to the men and women who put their lives on hold to serve our nation. It falls on November 11th for a reason.

On the 11th day of the 11th month at the eleventh hour, the cease fire ending World War One went into effect. Originally called Armistice Day, Poppy Day, or Remembrance Day, this day was set aside to remember the end of the war to end all wars and the people who fought in it. The reason it was referred to as Poppy Day is there is a poppy seed that can lay dormant for years and years until the ground it is in is disturbed. There used to be an area in Belgium and France (currently known as Nord Pas De Calais) known as the County of Flanders. During World War I, after some fierce fighting, the allied troops were buried in a makeshift cemetery known as Flanders Fields. When the following spring arrived, areas that had been dug up to bury soldiers were covered in red poppies. This is the reason that on Veteran’s Day, groups from American Legion Posts pass out poppies and ask for donations. The money they make from the donations is used to buy American Flags to place on the graves of veterans come Memorial Day. In America, until the end of World War Two, Veteran’s Day was known as Armistice Day. Unfortunately, the peace that started when the war to end all wars ended did not last, but Veteran’s Day lives on.

About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. Current population estimates suggest that about 131,000 Veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other Veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.

Right now, the number of homeless male and female Vietnam era Veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war -- and a small number of Desert Storm veterans are also appearing in the homeless population. Although many homeless Veterans served in combat in Vietnam and suffer from PTSD, at this time, epidemiologic studies do not suggest that there is a causal connection between military service, service in Vietnam, or exposure to combat and homelessness among Veterans. Family background, access to support from family and friends, and various personal characteristics (rather than military service) seem to be the stronger indicators of risk of homelessness

Almost all homeless Veterans are male (about three percent are women), the vast majority are single, and most come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds. Homeless Veterans tend to be older and more educated than homeless non-Veterans. But similar to the general population of homeless adult males, about 45% of homeless Veterans suffer from mental illness and (with considerable overlap) slightly more than 70% suffer from alcohol or other drug abuse problems. Roughly 56% are African American or Hispanic.