CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) — Arthur Lute's arduous
journey from his days as a U.S. Marine to his nights sleeping on the
streets illustrates the challenge for the Obama administration to
fulfill its promise to end homelessness among veterans by 2015.
Lute has post-traumatic stress disorder from the 1983 bombing of the
Marine barracks in Lebanon. He spent years drifting through jobs, two
years in prison for assault, then 15 months sleeping in the bushes
outside the police department of this city south of San Diego.
Today, he lives in a $1,235 a month, two-bedroom apartment in a
working-class neighborhood. The federal government pays nearly 80
percent of the rent and mostly covers the cost of medicines for his
depression, high blood pressure, and other health problems. State-funded
programs pay for doctor's appointments for his 6-month-old son and
therapy for his wife, who he said is bipolar.
Lute receives a Social Security check and food stamps. A Department
of Veterans Affairs case manager communicates with him regularly and
helps avert crises, like when Lute's electric bill jumped in an August
heat wave and he couldn't afford diapers.
A county program provided the crib. The American Legion donated cooking utensils, dishes and other basics.
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| Graphic shows spending on homeless veterans |
An upcoming report is expected to show the number of homeless
veterans has dropped by at least 15,000 since 2009, Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki says, and the drop is the result of an
aggressive two-pronged strategy to not only take veterans off the street
but also prevent new ones from ending up there.
But Shinseki made a bold promise in 2009: The administration would
end homelessness among veterans by 2015. The former four-star general
says now they're "on target" to meet the goal.
Officials and outside experts said it would take:
—More than doubling of the current, record annual progress.
—Billions more in federal money.
—More improvements and long-term commitment to programs aimed at the
root issues that land people on the streets — mental illness, drug and
alcohol addiction, unemployment, poverty.
"It's baloney to say it will end in 2015," said Bob McElroy of the
Alpha Project, which has helped the homeless in San Diego for decades.
"This needs to be a priority for decades to come."
Others are keeping their fingers crossed.
"It can happen," said Steve Berg of the National Alliance to End
Homelessness. He believes the effort on veterans could "lead the way" in
showing what can be done about overall homelessness, which is more
prevalent since the 1970s because of the loss of affordable housing,
changes in mental hospital admissions and the decriminalization of
crimes such as public drunkenness and vagrancy.
Of the country's 22 million veterans, an estimated 75,609 were
homeless in 2009 when Shinseki announced the campaign. Veterans make up
14 percent of the U.S. homeless population.
"I learned long ago that there are never any absolutes in life, and a
goal of zero homeless veterans sure sounds like an absolute," Shinseki
said in a November 2009 speech announcing the effort. "But unless we set
ambitious targets for ourselves, we would not be giving this our very
best efforts."
The number of homeless veterans dropped 12 percent between 2010 and
2011 to 67,497. It's expected to fall below 60,000 when this year's
count is released in the coming weeks, Shinseki says.
Rare bipartisanship in Washington is part of the reason. Political
consensus among lawmakers and in the administration to do everything
possible for troops and veterans has meant a huge increase in the budget
for VA health care and other services to the homeless, from $3.6
billion in the 2010 budget year to the proposed $5.8 billion for 2013.
"We can all agree that money spent in that effort has been money well
spent," said GOP Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, chairman of the House
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
The VA spent $9.5 billion in the 2011 and 2012 budget years and is
proposing to spend another $11.9 billion in the next two years — meaning
the overall cost would be $21.5 billion by September 2014.
Congress also has consistently raised annual budgets for VA's main
partner in the homeless effort, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development. HUD has sent $350 million for vouchers out to housing
authorities across the U.S. who have used the assistance to help house
42,000 veterans since 2008.
Advocates for the homeless also cite programs that they say finally
recognize the fact that not all homeless are the same. Chronic cases and
those with severe problems need substantial and longer assistance,
while others need temporary, emergency help.
Programs also have dropped the requirement that veterans must be
sober or on their medications before receiving housing. Susan Angell,
who oversees VA's homeless efforts, says having a safe and stable place
to live improves veterans' ability to participate in treatment programs
and other efforts intended to address the root causes of their problems
such as substance abuse or mental illness.
Officials also now have what many believe is a more credible count of
the homeless population — a census taken on the same night every
January. Experts praise the government improvements in streamlining
programs through thousands of local housing authorities, churches,
businesses and other partners.
Gary Shaheen of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University is optimistic.
"If unemployment dropped by 2 percentage points, we'd all be crowing
about that," he said. "Is there dramatic change? I think there is. Is it
sufficient? No. I think that we're laying the groundwork."
Mental health issues may be the biggest challenge to the government's
effort, according to veterans' organizations. The VA has struggled to
keep up with mental health care demands for the overall veteran
population due to insufficient staffing and other problems.
"If VA doesn't take a critical look at and correct the serious
problems ... most notably, its mental health access issues and rising
(disability) claims backlog, we will end up right back where we
started," Miller said.
Veterans such as 50-year-old Lute, who served in peacetime after
Vietnam and before the 1991 Gulf War, make up a disproportionate number
of those in VA homeless programs, according to Congressional Research
Service report from February.
Many had problems before going into the military. Lute was physically
abused as a child and suffers from depression as well as
service-related PTSD.
Another concern is what will happen if needs increase. Roughly
180,000 people leave the military every year; and that number will
increase because the Pentagon plans to shrink by 100,000 troops over the
next several years now that the war in Iraq is over and the drawdown in
Afghanistan has started.
Though few Iraq and Afghanistan vets have showed up at homeless
shelters so far, experts worry that homelessness among them may increase
later.
"We saw a lot of problems for the guys and gals from the Vietnam war
didn't (emerge) for decades," McElroy of Alpha Project said.
The VA hopes its new prevention programs will address that. One
started last year has so far helped 32,000 families of veterans who were
identified as vulnerable to becoming homeless. The program provides
money for child care, rent or utilities to keep them in their homes when
hard times hit.
Lute's family moved into the two-bedroom apartment last month after a
successful year in their first apartment — a one-bedroom. Visits from
social workers will decrease if he continues to take good care of his
son Evan.
A 280-pound man with a tattooed neck, he regularly takes Evan to a
park, near where he used to sleep at night. He says he's determined to
give him the happy childhood he never had.
"I don't know the answers. I've been in homeless shelters, through VA
programs, PTSD support groups, etc., but I think it's up to the
person," said Lute, as his giggling son rolled on the living room
carpet. "I will try everything I can to not become that way because of
him. Now I'm not on the streets because there's more in my life to
lose."
___
Jelinek reported from Washington.
