Binghamton Mayor David Accepts Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness

With Veteran’s Day having been just around the corner, I was sharing a story with our Hawk Morning Show intern, Cowboy Keith of a homeless veteran I once knew.

There was a homeless man who would sit outside my church and I could count on seeing him feed the pigeons just about every Sunday. We would chat and gradually grew acquainted. During one holiday season the man asked me to visit him during Christmas at the local YMCA. The man gave me a fairly large package wrapped in festive paper. I unwrapped the package and found he'd given me a coat. The man told me it would bring out the color in my eyes.  He recalled how while serving across seas his wife decided to leave the marriage, took the kids as well as the house and left him with nothing. It was in this moment that I realized that there are many reasons veterans can become homeless, including poverty, lack of support from family and friends, substance abuse and mental health issues.

All across the nation the number of homeless Americans is increasing and these numbers don’t exclude the brave veterans who served to protect the nation we love. A shocking 12% percent of our nation’s homeless population consists of veterans according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV). To put a number on that, the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates about 49,993 veterans are homeless on any given night. The average school bus in America can seat around 48 adults, with there being 49,993 homeless veterans on any given night that means there are approximately 1,041.5 bus loads worth of homeless veterans on any given night. These numbers are outrageous; how did we as a nation allow this to happen to the people who have served to protect us?

Recently Michelle Obama announced the White House’s Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness created by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In September Mayor Rich David accepted the H.U.D’s challenge and appointed an official Blue Ribbon Commission which consisted of community leaders and experts in veteran and homeless issues.

Mayor David has announced as of November 12 that 21 homeless veterans on the streets of Binghamton have found either permanent or transitional housing or inpatient treatment for substance use or mental health. The commission’s ultimate goal is to secure long-term housing for all identified veterans.

Mayor David announced, “Tonight, not a single veteran we know of in Binghamton will be without a warm bed and roof above their head. We’ve secured housing for every identified homeless veteran in our community, part of our moral and patriotic duty to provide basic services for those who protected our country.” Binghamton has been congratulated by H.U.D on being the first city in the nation to develop a plan for housing homeless veterans. Binghamton’s Blue Ribbon Committee followed a tailored five step approach to tackle the homeless veteran problem.

1. Identify Veterans Experiencing Homelessness
2. Identify Housing Options
3. Identify Funding
4. Coordinate Support Services
5. Outreach For New and Existing Veterans

With these five steps David and the Blue Ribbon Committee created a pathway that will enable the rest of our country to help and protect the men and women that served to protect us.

*Written with help from Cowboy Keith