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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Another, different, US troop surge

May 18 2009
A quarter of all homeless people in America are ex-soldiers, with numbers swollen by servicemen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan In a reverse of the UK trend reported in last month's issue, a quarter of all homeless people in America are ex-soldiers, a new report has found. The study, by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, revealed that although veterans make up just 11 per cent of the US adult population, they represent 26 per cent of rough sleepers - 194,254 out of 744,313. The non-profit group branded the figures "shockingly disproportionate" and called for the creation of more supported housing places for veterans. Group president Nan Roman said: "It is our responsibility, as a nation, to support those who have served our country by, at a minimum, providing them with the stable housing and necessary supports to avoid homelessness." The group recommended the creation of more supported housing places for veterans, and called on the government to establish a risk assessment process for the first 30 days of a soldier's discharge. Some advocates have also expressed concerns about the presence of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan at shelters so soon after they have returned from the conflict. Daniel Tooth, director of veterans' affairs for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, said: "We are going to be having a tsunami of them eventually because the mental health toll from this war is enormous."
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