NATIONAL VETERANS HOMELESSNESS STATISTICS
About one-third of the adult homeless population has served their country in the Armed Services. On any given day, as many as 250,000 veterans (male and female) are living on the streets or in shelters. 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.
Almost all homeless veterans are male (about three percent are women), the vast majorities 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 80% suffer from alcohol or other drug abuse problems. Roughly 56% are African American or Hispanic.
BERKSHIRE COUNTY VETERANS HOMELESSNESS STATISTICS 2003
- In the year 2003 Massachusetts had 509,868 veteran residents
- Berkshire County had 17,661veterans
- 1,412 or 8% are low-income (state average 7.5%)
- 301 individuals needing emergency shelter *
- 143 or 49 % were veterans *
- 335 incarcerated veterans in the four western counties jail last year **
- 62 were housed in Berkshire County House of Correction **
- 382 veterans sought employment services through BerkshireWorks in the last 6 months. ***
** Data from Berkshire County House of Correction Annual Report
*** Data from BershireWorks
UNITED VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC. STATISTICS
- FY2002-FY2003 565 veterans entered our program.
- 62% of the 139 residents housed in the UVA shelter are Massachusetts’s residents
- 24% are from Berkshire County
- Currently the UVA has139 homeless veterans.
115- alcohol and drugs
7- elderly (70+years)
4- female
27- Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
32- parole/probation
38- non-white
