Little is known about homelessness among Canadian Forces (CF) and Allied Forces (AF) Veterans. The purpose of this first national study was to understand the experience of homelessness among Veterans of the CF and AF, to discover the underlying causes of homelessness and to provide recommendations to improve services to Veterans. An interpretative phenomenological methodology guided the study to focus on understanding the experience of homelessness among the CF and AF population. A purposive sample of 54 homeless CF and AF veterans in three provinces and five cities (London, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary) were interviewed who met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-four transcriptions were analyzed to identify common themes until an understanding of the experience of homeless Veterans was attained. Three themes were identified: A long journey from the military home to homelessness; the best and the worst of the system, and; two different worlds: like being on Mars and coming to Earth. Alcoholism was one of the major issues identified that lead ultimately to homelessness many years after their release from the military. Recommendations from participants for the Department of National Defence (DND) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and implications for education, practice and research will be discussed.
To download the complete report:
http://www.homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/VeteranHomelessnessReport.pdf
I heard a little piece on the radio this morning about "Broken Wing"
http://peacekeeperpark.com/Broken%20Wing.htm
Broken Wing is a multi-phased program developed by soldiers for soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which is now known as Operational Stress Injury (OSI). These terms carry a certain connotation behind them - strange and decadent self-absorption, drugs and alcohol, shame, or, to some - just the realization that this is the person that you used to love, used to know so intimately and who is not quite that person you knew such a short time ago. Broken Wing is a live-in program conducted at Peacekeepr Park with the pilot program being held in the summer of 2011. There is no cost to any veteran who wishes to apply.
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