PHOENIX — As families across the valley are being priced out of the housing market, researchers say the risk of becoming homeless is greater for veterans.
Numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing show it’s more common for veterans to experience homelessness than anyone in the U.S. On a single night last year, there were 33,000 unsheltered veterans. That’s 20 out of every 10,000 veterans.
President of Catholic Charities Paul Mulligan says numbers have gone down slightly over the years since a national campaign was launched to get veterans off the streets. But they’re still high.
He’s a navy veteran himself, helping run Catholic Charities Mana House, a transitional housing facility in Phoenix.
Mana House is a peer support program where veterans help fellow veterans.
They receive temporary housing and work with case managers to find out what is preventing them from having a stable job and a place to live. He says most of the time, it’s adjusting to life outside of the service that’s putting them more at risk of substance abuse, mental health disorders, PTSD and other disabilities.
“The challenges get exacerbated by inflation when you have to choose between food, medicine, rent. These things get to be a real big squeeze,” Mulligan said. “So, the support that we can provide here, let them get those systems in place that they need through the VA, the benefits they're entitled to, etc. Those are all things we're connecting dots for that really can put the package together and allow these guys to get on their feet and be stable."
