Veterans Affairs (VA) reports indicate that on any single night nearly 1300 veterans are homeless; 57% were staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program; and the remaining 43% were living on the street, in an abandoned building, or unsheltered someplace. Although there have been some downward trend, approximately 10% of all U.S. residents are veterans. About 20% of the male homeless population are veterans.
According to Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) website, it is estimated that approximately 307,568 Veterans live in Oregon with an estimated 25,086 veterans living in Marion County. Although we do not know the current count for Marion County veterans, it has been previously estimated that Oregon has more than 7,000 homeless veterans.
The VETcare Transitional Program is located at 2933 Center St NE, Unit 2, Salem, OR and has an excellent facility for helping Veterans in Marion County who are homeless or at imminent danger of being homeless as well as those involved in the criminal justice system. It also allows for a space to send veterans who have slipped back in their court-ordered treatment plan as opposed to sending them back to jail or prison. The facility will allow us to serve a maximum of 30 veterans by offering secure housing, life skills training, substance abuse recovery training, and reintegration programs for the veterans.
