“When veterans are discharged from the military, many of them struggle to fit back in with civilian life. Research shows veterans’ lack of support and social isolation contributes to homelessness among veterans with PTSD,” according to verywellmind.com. And Psychology Today reports on a study of formerly homeless veterans which “found that 44 percent experienced at least one day of home- lessness within five years after being successfully placed in housing, and that drug use and post- traumatic stress were the strongest predictors of later homelessness.” National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study results indicate that “those who experienced stress in a war zone had more readjustment prob- lems and that stress and readjustment problems were stronger predictors of homelessness than exposure to war zones alone.” In addition, studies indicate that psychiatric symptoms and substance use were stronger predictors of homelessness than combat exposure or any other military factor. However, many veterans who deal with PTSD don’t receive adequate treatment to help them deal with the traumatic events they witnessed in the mil- itary, so they struggle to maintain jobs and to find things in common with their friends and families. “At the National Veterans Foundation, many of the crisis calls we handle begin with issues of isolation and loneliness. Untreated, this can lead to substance abuse, relationship problems, and violent behavior,” according to their article, “Counseling and Mental Health Care Before Deployment Could Ease Vets’ Return.” The Department of Veterans Affairs has identified more than 1,000 veterans coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq as at risk for homeless- ness. It has served about 300 in its homelessness programs—leaving a large part of that at-risk population without help. Interestingly, homeless veterans are almost all male; only 9 percent of homeless veterans are female, reports verywellmind.com. Studies from both veteran and civilian groups support the strong risk of homelessness from mental health problems and substance abuse. Plus, the effects of PTSD—including substance abuse, interpersonal difficulties, and unemployment— were connected to veteran homelessness. Mental Health and Homelessness “I t is one thing to imagine and empathize with the plight of a man or woman without limbs, who cannot walk or run or jump, but it is arguably more difficult to imag- ine and empathize with the suffering of those whose emotional equilibrium, memory, concen- tration, sleep patterns, and even grasp on reality  24 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 Many veterans who deal with PTSD don’t receive adequate treatment to help them deal with the traumatic events they witnessed in the military, so they struggle to maintain jobs and to find things in common with their friends and families.