RealEstateRama is reporting that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will invest $2 million dollars in its Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program, for veterans “at risk” of homelessness.
While this DOL announcement doesn’t appear to be officially associated with the Administration’s new Federal Plan to End Homeless, it speaks to an important reality about the homelessness problem: to beat it, you’ve got to route it out before it begins. Veterans, who constitute 20% of the homeless population, are an example of a group that can sometimes fall through the cracks during transitional periods in their life (whether it’s a return from time abroad or from incarceration, or any other time they’re struggling).
Of course it’s true that everybody deserves a second chance, especially people who’ve sacrificed so much in the name of their country. Yet when it comes to the homelessness epidemic, people deserve a fair shake at avoiding the problem the first time around.