Friday, February 1, 2008
News Benefit for homeless vets Fox's O'Reilly says don't exist
Posted by Scott Freeman on Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Received a press release concerning a local benefit for homeless vets.
Here's the press release:
On Sunday, February 17, Veterans for Peace Greater Atlanta Chapter 125 and The Mad Housers will show When I Came Home, a documentary about homeless veterans in the United States, at PushPush Theater in Decatur. This will be a benefit to raise funds for their project to help homeless veterans in the Atlanta area. Show time is 7:30 pm, doors open at 7:00.
The possibility of homelessness is a very real concern for returning veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other veterans. The Homeless Research Institute and National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that there were 336,000 veterans who were homeless in the U.S. in 2006 and that approximately 196,000 veterans were homeless on any given night that year. Veterans make up nearly a third of our homeless population. Forty-seven percent of those are from the Vietnam era, but the number from current wars is growing. According to a Nov. 7, 2007, article in the New York Times, “the Veterans Affairs Department and aid groups say they are bracing for a new surge in homeless veterans in the years ahead.â€
A new VA report shows that the average veteran’s wait for disability benefits is around six months, 183 days. It’s the third year in a row that the wait time has increased. “This situation certainly places these persons in a position of potential homelessness while waiting for their benefits,†says Mike Hearington, an Atlanta Vietnam era vet. “My brother did not get his disability until years after he returned from Vietnam and he lived on the street quite a few of those years.â€
The Mad Housers, Inc. is an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that builds shelters for homeless people. Veterans for Peace Atlanta Chapter 125 is a nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to the abolishment of war.
The film is 70 minutes long. A discussion will follow with representatives of Veterans for Peace, the Mad Housers and, via telephone, director Dan Lohaus.
Did anyone remember to invite O'Reilly?
Comments (4)
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You guys crack me up. After the obligatory shot at someone you disagree with, which of course adds absolutely nothing to this story, you then go on to print in full a press release from an advocacy group. The funniest thing though is you reprint the advocacy groups boilerplate describing it as a "nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to the abolishment of war," as if this is some charity. I know you went to their Web site because you linked to it. This is a politicized protest group. Scott you are as bad as O'Reilly. You never, ever question critically ANYONE that agrees with you on the issues and come on, you REPRINTED A PRESS RELEASE. Sad. No wonder CL is laying people off.
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While I am not a fan of O'Reilly per say, at least lets be fair, He never said homeless vets dont exist. he simply said addiction and mental illness are the cause of homeless vets and not economics. all the studies back that up. The VA has a service available to pick up all homeless vets, but they cant be picked up if they refuse help. at least lets be honest. Even Bill and his narcissism deserve the truth.
Hmmm ... O'Reilly says that he's "still looking for all the veterans sleeping under the bridges … so if you find anybody, let us know." How can that not be belittling a serious issue? Sort of like when he tells someone who doesn't agree with him to shut up.
Here are some links to facts about homeless veterans: In 2006, approximately 195,827 veterans were homeless on a given night and there were an estimated 336,637 veterans who were homeless at one point, representing an increase from 2005. Homelessness Research Institute and National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans,†November 2007: http://www.naeh.org/content/article/detail/1837. Erik Eckholm, “Surge Seen in Number of Homeless Veterans,†The New York Times, November 8, 2007: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/us/08vets.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1200499525-dA4YTIMQApdBgXLDNeChfg&pagewanted=print. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Overview of Homelessness,†August 29, 2007: http://www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=1. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development, “The Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress,†February 2007: http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/ahar.pdf. Erik Eckholm, “Surge Seen in Number of Homeless Veterans,†The New York Times, November 8, 2007: This increase is attributed to the 40% homeless female veterans of OIF/OEF who say they were sexually assaulted, a risk factor of homelessness. Erik Eckholm, “Surge Seen in Number of Homeless Veterans,†The New York Times, November 8, 2007: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/us/08vets.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1200499525-dA4YTIMQApdBgXLDNeChfg&pagewanted=print. Congressional Research Service, “Veterans and Homelessness,†May 31, 2007: http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34024_20070531.pdf. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Overview of Homelessness,†August 29, 2007: http://www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=1.
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