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Some Agencies Report Increase in
Homeless Michigan Veterans
Detroit Free Press
March 31, 2005
David Coates / The Detroit News
Some agencies that serve the homeless say they are seeing an increase in the number of military veterans seeking help.
"It's the worst I've seen in at least a decade," said Vince Berna, founder of Veteran's Haven in Wayne, which assists homeless veterans with housing and food. "I've got 500 guys on our list for food every month right now."
The numbers conflict with official statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that show the number of veterans receiving homeless services has remained flat in Detroit and has declined nationwide.
"It's an extremely difficult number for us to get a handle on," said Al Taylor, a program specialist with Veterans Affairs. The department surveys homeless services providers and uses U.S. Census data, low-income population estimates and VA records to arrive at its numbers.
Advocates for veterans say many veterans do not trust Veteran's Affairs services and probably are not counted.
"It's a red tape-filled bureaucratic system that's very frustrating," Berna told The Detroit News for a story Thursday.
The VA says the number of homeless veterans in metropolitan Detroit was 2,150 in 2004, compared with 2,146 in 2003.
At the Michigan Veterans Foundation in Detroit, a nonprofit agency that provides education, job training and housing, the numbers show a much sharper increase. The foundation provided housing for 237 veterans in the year ending in January 2004 and 323 last year.
Veterans represented about 4 percent of the total homeless population served by the Macomb County Homeless Coalition in a survey last year and 10 percent in a survey earlier this year.
At Veteran's Haven, Berna estimated a 20 percent increase in homeless vets over last year.
While some veterans recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan have appeared at area shelters, most are veterans who have been out of the service or the reserves for several years.
Of the 323 veterans who received transitional housing through the Michigan Veterans Foundation, 54 percent were age 31 to 50 and 39 percent were 51 to 61.
At 54, former Army Sgt. Herman Abila recently found himself in need of housing assistance. He served in the Army from 1980 to 1983, stationed in places such as Colorado and Germany, and remained in the Army Reserve through 1993.
Abila was a mechanic until a workplace accident shattered his right elbow. After three surgeries and physical therapy, finding steady work became difficult.
Two weeks ago, his temp job dried up, leaving him with only his disability check.
"I was staying in a motel room but it was eating up my check," he said. With nowhere else to go, Abila turned to Veteran's Haven, which is providing him with temporary housing.
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