[Vision2020] [Bulk] Re: 1 in 4 Homeless is a Veteran

[Tom Hansen]

Thank you, Janesta, for your comments.

 

It seriously pains me to hear of the passing of a loved one of yours.

 

There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for that to have occurred, at least not in the
manner in which he passed.

 

In my heart of hearts I don't believe that it is a matter of the homeless
not wanting help.  These people feel betrayed by a culture they once were a
part of.  How can we expect them to trust that culture again?  A vast
majority of those homeless souls ended up on the streets, under freeway
overpasses, and in the back alleys of our cities because people (be it an
organization, a program, a not-so-charitable charity, etc.) turned their
backs at a time when that person needed help most.

 

These people didn't just wake up one morning and say, "It's been nice having
a shelter and food.   Think I'll cash in all my municipal bonds and do the
homeless thing for a while."  They are forced into it.  They lose their
trust in people and faith in the system.  This is true, especially of the
homeless veteran.  Trust me.  I seriously do not mean to downplay the loss
of your loved one.  His loss is no less felt than any other.  It's just that
a vast majority of the homeless veterans have diagnosable and treatable
problems.  It's just that the government (the system) felt it more cost
efficient to turn their backs on them.  These veterans, if they do not have
a family structure to help them, end up on the streets.

 

It was just in the past ten years that the government recognized and decided
to treat cancers associated with Agent Orange, a defoliant used during
Vietnam, not to mention the multitude of problems associated with
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  How many of those victims will never be
accounted for?

 

So, you see, Janesta.  In my opinion we must restore faith in the system and
trust in people.

 

On a side note:  In 2006, the Las Vegas City Council made it a misdemeanor
for private citizens to feed the homeless.  Happy Thanksgiving, Las Vegas.

 

Thanks again, Janesta.

 

You are real people that really cares.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Don't tell me why I can't.
Show me how I can."

- Author Unknown 

  _____  

From: Janesta [mailto:janesta at gmail.com] 
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 8:09 AM
To: Paul Rumelhart
Cc: Sue Hovey; Tom Hansen; Moscow Vision 2020
Subject: Re: [Bulk] Re: [Vision2020] 1 in 4 Homeless is a Veteran

 

Thank you, Tom, for your heartfelt apology. It means a lot. The note sent to
you, was supposed to be off-line, and I am sorry it was public. Obviously, I
am passionate about this subject. It hasn't been but 4 months ago, or so,
that my loved one who was homeless died. He would have died on the street,
had not some kind soul called an ambulance, which took him to the hospital,
where he died soon after. And yes, he lived like the dog you referred to.
Pat Kraut is correct, some people don't want to be helped, or live within
the constraints of society's rules. No matter what we did, or how hard we
tried, nothing worked....  Maybe sometime, when the crevasse in my heart is
not so deep, I will tell the story about the father of my children. 

 

Thank you for all that you do, DO!

 

Janesta 

 

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