Help lags for homeless female veterans
About 8,000 women lack permanent shelter. Need is likely to rise as more women return from war.
from the July 18, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Existing programs for women are "probably not yet sufficient. There's not even one in every state," says Pete Dougherty, director of homeless programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
He notes, however, that last week the VA announced $12 million in new grants for programs for female, mentally disabled, and elderly veterans – double the current funding for these "special needs" programs. The VA will also fund about 80 additional beds for female veterans in shelters in five states.
The transformed role of women in the military, from nursing and administrative positions to the front lines, experts say, is partly responsible for the increased trauma they experience after war – a factor that increases their risk for homelessness. A woman who has served in the military is up to four times more likely to be homeless than a nonveteran woman.
"Many of the women we see joined the military because they were seeking safety from an abusive step-parent or some sort of sexual abuse," says Toni Reinis, executive director of New Directions, a residential self-help program for veterans in Los Angeles that has treated an estimated 500 female veterans over the past 13 years. "Often they find the military was not, in fact, a safe place."
For female veterans who find themselves on the streets, the problem of finding an adequate shelter is often compounded by fear of sexual abuse. Only a handful of veterans' services around the US have special buildings or floors for women, despite the fact that social workers say separate facilities for homeless female vets are crucial for their recovery. "When you talk to women veterans, you'll hear them clearly say, 'we want a place of our own.' They don't feel safe," says Marsha Four, director of homeless veterans services at the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-service and Education Center.
Many women who served in the military don't perceive themselves as veterans, which can also prevent them from seeking out services, says Ms. Beversdorf. She would like to see the VA undertake a broad-based campaign to educate veterans about their benefits.
One of them is Katye Gates, a veteran from Brimfield, Mass., who served in Iraq for 15 months – running a .50 caliber gunner on more than 180 army convoys. "When I first came back, it was weird because I'd go to vet centers, and it's nearly all men there. But I served my country."
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