After many years of fighting for a major shift in military law, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has new support for removing commanders from prosecuting assault cases. More of her colleagues and a Pentagon panel agree it should be done. If passed, independent military lawyers would report to a special victims prosecutor who would decide whether to court-martial anyone accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment or domestic violence.  Among the Senate supporters is Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) who has pushed for additions to the bill that would address prevention of sexual assault.

Women veterans experiencing sexual assault is horrendous in and of itself. But, as outlined by the report below, it is a major factor leading to homelessness of women veterans.  Please read what follows.  It isn't pleasant reading.  It's sad and should make you angry on behalf of women veterans.   We need to do whatever we can to help erase this problem.  We can start by contacting our Senators asking them to support this bill.

REPORT ON HOMELESS FEMALE VETERANS from the NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS VETERANS

Read the full report at:  Homeless Female Veterans

Homelessness among women veterans is expected to rise as increasing numbers of women in the military reintegrate into their communities as veterans. Women currently make up 8% of the total veteran population and 14.6% of the active duty military, increasing to an estimated 16% by 2035. The number of homeless women veterans has doubled from 1,380 in FY 2006 to 3,328 in FY 2010. While data systems for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) do not collect data on the risk factors contributing to female veteran homelessness, women veterans face unique challenges that increase their susceptibility to homelessness

 PTSD and MST

Within the homeless population, the frequency of mental illness is three to four times higher than the general population, with the rate of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnoses almost doubled. Nearly 80% of homeless veterans suffer from mental health disorders, drug and/or alcohol abuse, or co-occurring disorders. PTSD is one of the largest mental health challenges facing returning veterans. From 2004-2008 the number of veterans seeking help for PTSD in the VA system increased from 274,000 to 442,000. PTSD and other mental health disorders lead to difficulties maintaining productive employment, among other difficulties, greatly increasing the risk of homelessness. A study done by Kelly et. al found that women who experience Military Sexual Trauma (MST) were nine times more at risk for PTSD. Cases of MST continue to grow, with one in five women reporting having experienced MST. While only constituting 14.6% of the military, women account for 95% of reported sex crime victims. According to a recent Pentagon report, the rate of violent sexual crimes within the military has increased by 64% since 2006. Fear of reprisal and being ostracized from coworkers prevents many women from reporting the abuse. Defense Secretary Panetta stated that the Department of Defense is aware that this is a “very under-reported crime,” with actual incidents of military sexual assault (MSA) being six times higher than reported. With 3,191 reported MSAs in 2011, the actual number of MSA incidences is predicted to be nearly 19,000. Because those who experience personal violence, including rape, are 6.5 times more likely to experience homelessness, women veterans who have experienced MST are at a greater risk for experiencing homelessness, especially when compounded by PTSD.

HOUSING, CHILDCARE and EMPLOYMENT

According to the Department of Defense, in 2010 more than 30,000 single mothers have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and as of 2006 more than 40% of active duty women have children. For any veteran with dependent children, being identified as homeless creates a threat and fear of youth protective services assessing the situation as dangerous and removing the children from their parent. A recent study done by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that more than 60% of organizations with Grant and Per Diem programs (GPD) did not have sufficient resources to provide housing for the children of veterans. Of the 52 that did provide housing, 70% had major restrictions, including the number of children per veteran and age limits. Organizations with GPD programs are reimbursed for the daily cost of housing a homeless veteran; the cost of housing a homeless veteran’s child is not reimbursable, creating a cost burden on the program. GPD has proven to be a vital program in transitioning homeless veterans into independent living. Without another funding source, organizations offering transitional housing services will likely face increased financial burdens as the number of low income women veterans with children continues to grow.

Homeless women veterans also face substantial barriers to employment. In FY 2010, according to the VA, 77% of homeless female veterans were unemployed. One of the key factors for this larger percentage could be the lack of accessible and affordable child care. In fact, according to the recent FY 2010 CHALENG report, the VA and community providers ranked child care as the highest unmet need of homeless veterans from FY 2008- 2010. Additionally, many of the skills that women veterans learn during their military service may not translate back to the civilian workforce or may be skills for a predominately male field.

PRIVACY and SAFETY CONCERNS

After returning from deployment, women veterans in need of assistance often isolate themselves, decreasing their access to critical interventions to prevent homelessness. Some women may not selfidentify as veterans or may feel uncomfortable seeking services through the VA Medical Center, decreasing the services accessed by women who are at risk of homelessness. According to a study done by the GAO in 2010, space constraints and lack of access to proper equipment complicate the ability of VA Medical Centers to provide private, gender-specific care to female veterans, with many VA Medical Centers referring women to community-based outpatient clinics outside of the VA for their specialized care needs.

Homeless women veterans have traditionally had difficulty accessing housing services due to safety and security concerns. The 2010 study done by the GAO found that over 25% of existing GPD programs providing transitional housing to homeless women veterans cited safety concerns as a barrier to service delivery. Without gender-specific safety and security standards for GPD programs, nearly one in 16 programs surveyed by the GAO reported incidents of sexual harassment or assault on women residents in the last five years. An audit released in 2012 by the VA Office of Inspector General found that 1 in 3 programs did not specify the gender of homeless veteran populations they intended to serve on their GPD application for funding. Without defining the population intended to be served, safety and security standards cannot be adequately determined.