SAN DIEGO — Nationwide, the number of people experiencing homelessness is continuing to rise, including our country's veterans.
New data from the federal government show that, across the country, homelessness is up for the seventh year in a row, increasing by twelve percent from 2022 to 2023.
This uptick is also being seen among one of our most vulnerable populations: military veterans.
While the number of homeless veterans nationwide rose by more than seven percent from 2022 to 2023, during that same time period here in San Diego, it increased by 17 percent, according to the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness.
"It is astonishing to hear those numbers, but I can see why that is," said Dr. Dustin Potash. veterans director for the San Diego-based non-profit Adjoin.
A critical part of its mission is to secure housing for vets experiencing homelessness.
He said that the rising cost-of-living, especially here in San Diego, plays a huge role.
"With the fixed incomes that a lot of our disabled veterans have, it is very hard to find suitable housing for them," Potash told CBS 8.
But veterans also face unique challenges as they transition from military life, where they've often experienced combat and endured trauma, back to civilian life.
"They're finding themselves on the streets, with their families, either living in their cars or under bridges," he added, "and addiction and PTSD is a big piece of it."
Potash knows this first-hand, as a veteran who dealt with PTSD himself, he found himself homeless. for a short while after leaving the U.S. Army.
"I knew I needed the help because i knew I couldn't survive in my car anymore --- so I sought out the help, and fortunately it turned out for the better for me."
And Potash emphasized that the help is out there.
For many veterans experiencing homeless, though, shame and stigma are too often barriers in seeking out that assistance.
"Raise your hand: tell us you need help, because there are people out there who can help," Potash said. "This is San Diego: it is a huge military community , there's a lot of non-profits that are trying to help the military community."
He added that the federal government also needs to do its part, and also believes the military should do more in helping its members transition back to civilian life once their service end, "so that their services are set up, their housing is set up, their income is set up before they even leave that military base."
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