One night without a home

This morning as we bundled up and headed out the door, most of us inevitably did our share of grumbling about the wind and the cold. After all, with temperatures dropping into the teens last night, who would want to be out in the elements any longer than absolutely necessary?

The answer: more people than one might think.

Why? Because tonight, members of our community are coming together and spending the night outside on Magic Island in an attempt to simulate the realities of homelessness. From 6pm to 6am, individuals are gathering to spend "One Night Without a Home." The goal of this annual event is to spend a night outside to discuss, think, and learn about homelessness, and to promote advocacy and education about this critically important issue.

Presented by the WV Mental Health Consumer Association & Kanawha Valley Collectives, the evening will include a food drive, guest speakers, live music, facilitated discussion groups, and a candlelight vigil. As a co-sponsor of this event, the YWCA of Charleston encourages all to attend - even for just part of the evening - to get a small glimpse into the lives of those who are unable to meet even their most basic needs of shelter, food and clothing.

Last year alone, 338 homeless children came through our doors at the YWCA Sojourner's Shelter, and nearly 800 homeless adults benefited from our services. Our annual return-to-shelter rate of approx. 5% demonstrates that we are making slow but steady progress toward our goal of eliminating homelessness.

Are you willing to spend one night without a home?

Remembering our veterans

Today as we remember the brave men and women who have served our country, we salute them for their service and thank them for all they have done for us. However, we often forget the scores of veterans that struggle to meet basic needs such as food and shelter - and we fail to ask what we can do for them.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 154,000 veterans were homeless on any given night last year. The number of homeless female veterans is estimated between 7,000 and 8,o00 and quickly growing. This is a relatively new phenomenon because only recently have so many women (more than 190,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan alone) been serving in the U.S. military. We invite you to read yesterday's MSNBC story, which highlights the life of a 38-year-old homeless female veteran and raises awareness of this growing phenomenon.

The MSNBC report notes several reasons why we see veterans become homeless:

• Repeated deployments make it difficult for them to keep their finances in order and for reservists to hold on to their civilian jobs.
• Fallout from military service — which can include post-traumatic stress disorder — can seriously damage family and other relationships.
• Those stresses can lead to withdrawal and depression, which can make it difficult to land a job.
• The lack of income makes it hard to pay rent or a mortgage.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has only 15 facilities that offer residential mental health treatment specifically for women with post-traumatic stress disorder. Out of 500 VA-run homeless shelters, 300 can accept women and only 22 have programs that address female veterans specifically or have living arrangements separate from men. Therefore, female veterans without housing often resort to local shelters like the YWCA Sojourner's Shelter for Homeless Women and Families.

Each year, YWCA Sojourner's has homeless veterans and their children walk through the door, where they receive basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing, as well as vital supportive counseling, substance abuse counseling, education and job training.

So today as we honor our veterans, let us remember those in need and thank them for their service by continuing to support them in thought, mind and deed.