Information About Homeless Veterans

I am sure most of us at some point have observed a person holding a sign at a street corner, outside of a supermarket, or at a public gathering place and they are claiming to be a homeless veteran in need of money, food or shelter. It’s human nature to be skeptical, and it is hard to determine if that person is truly a veteran in need of help or is it someone who may be playing on the public’s sympathy for homeless vets.

For those of you who choose to help these individuals in whatever way you can, that is fantastic. But if you are like me, you have probably wondered if there were something else you could do to help them if they are in fact a veteran.

One easy thing you could do is to provide the person a phone number. That’s right, a phone number.
1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838) is a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans.

It is a direct hotline to ensure that homeless Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. The hotline is intended to assist homeless Veterans and their families, VA Medical Centers, federal, state and local partners, community agencies, service providers and others in the community.

If you are inclined, keep the number handy in your wallet, your purse, or even in your address book in your cell phone. Some people have even gone so far as to print the phone number on small cards or pieces of paper to hand out to these individuals. You might just end up helping someone who otherwise had no idea about this valuable service.

Moreinformation is available on the VA Website at
http://www.va.gov/homeless/nationalcallcenter.asp