What we owe our returning veterans

By Tori Lyon

Best Defense guest columnist

As our troops come
back from Iraq, one measure of our integrity as a nation is how effectively we
welcome them home. Beyond a chorus of respect from business, government and
citizens for our troops, they are coming back to grim economic and social
realities leaving them more likely to be unemployed and homeless than average
Americans.

The vast irony is
that many service members who heeded the call to action post 9/11 are suffering
from the effects of an 11.7 percent unemployment rate, physical and mental injuries,
and terrible difficulties reengaging in the social and familial rhythms of
civilian life.

The result: a
disproportionate number of homeless veterans between the ages of 18-30. A new study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Veterans Affairs noted that while young veterans make up
only about 5 percent of the nation's veteran population, they constitute nearly 9 percent of
all former service members who are homeless. This doesn't count those who
"couch surf" with friends and family.

The problem will
not abate as another 50,000 troops stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan over
the next two years. How can we rise to the occasion to serve our veterans with
the same honor and dignity that they have shown us?

Based on Jericho
Project's 28-year
experience in helping formerly homeless individuals transform their lives -- and
our work in providing permanent supportive housing and comprehensive counseling
to over 200 veterans -- we believe that today's young veterans do not have to
experience the chronic homelessness that shamefully plagues those from the Vietnam era.

Instead, speedy and
intensive support can steer our homeless and at-risk veterans through the
challenges of transition and ensure that they do not settle into a permanent
state of homelessness. To accomplish this, start with the stabilizing
foundation of supportive housing within a community of veterans. Then, give
veterans access to the expertise needed to successfully tackle complex issues
such as substance abuse, mental health, and family isolation. And finally,
provide real-world counseling to fast-track veterans to jobs, internships, and
education where they can regain their confidence and get back on their feet.

Overall our young
veterans are known for their discipline, leadership, and courage. While
otherwise stressful, life in the military is also extremely structured. It
provides housing, training, employment, and community. So when a serviceperson
comes home it is an icy plunge into the relative chaos of finding affordable
housing, attainable jobs, and even coping with the anxiety of a crowd or loud
noise.

For those returning
to troubled homes or neighborhoods that were under-resourced to begin with, the
journey can be fraught with additional threats. While these veterans have become
accomplished, skilled teammates and leaders in the military, often their home
lives and neighborhoods now have even less margin for coping with joblessness,
addictions, and inadequate education.

What can be done? The
military can better prepare veterans for their return. Admirably the Department
of Defense is considering revamping its exit process to better connect
returning veterans to services and resources they need. We can also do a better
job of identifying those people who are at risk of homelessness
and introducing them to services early in the re-entry process. This can go far
in helping them to avert a condition that no veteran should bear.

At the same time,
employers can bring veterans' resumes to the top of the pile. Today's young
veterans make great hires, bringing maturity, crisis management skills and
loyalty to the table.

The Department of
Veterans Affairs has called for zero homeless veterans by 2015. With 75,000 veterans still on the
streets on any one night, it is a tall order, but together with the strategic
support of the government, businesses, social services and private citizens, it
is one that we must deliver.

Tori Lyon is
Executive Director of Jericho Project , a New York-based nonprofit ending
homelessness at its roots.