I'm not going to tell the stories about how horrible the VA is at rescuing homeless people. Neither am I going to talk about the trauma I have experienced while being homeless. Unlike most people, I realize that it is all intentional. The ineptitude, the utter lack of coordination, the false promises...all intentional. There is no way that a professional organization can operate the way they do and it NOT be...intentional.

Thank you for your comment. Will you email us at HomelessVets@va.gov so we can have your local VA reach out to you to try and help?

I concur with Gregory and Adam the VA program may be wonderful but the people who are assigned as case workers let the ball drop with no thought to who they hurt and no apologies. Just lack of communication, false hope, unreturned messages and inept knowledge of services and their responsibilities. I have the worst case worker in the world I refer to him as Barney Fife. I've requested a new case worker, spoken to his boss and was supposed to hear from her about getting a replacement in a meeting and then I never heard from her again! My story is too long to post here but I've saved every email, voicemail and text of mine and theirs. You would absolutely fall over if you were to see the lack of respect and caring involved. I am housed now, with constant anxiety due to the fact that they let the ball drop constantly and don't tell me. Causing me to deal with situations that I have no information about other than the fact that I informed them, they said they'd take care of it and let me know, and then follow through with none of it. I wouldn't treat my worst enemy the way they treat me. Everything is so unorganized and updating information as they find out is non existent. What really blows me away is that things now ARE better than they used to be, but still not good at all. Those poor people who came before me must've endured some hellish experiences. I've come to the conclusion that mediocre is all you can expect because quality just isn't expected from the workers or their supervisors. I have to say I am housed finally under the HUD VASH program but still haven't found the solutions to my problems or the peace that being housed should bring. Let me say this too...I'm not hard to get along with and don't have high expectations or extreme requests and would be happy with the minimum amount of action. help, and care. I'm kind, considerate and not demanding at all and totally fine with the basics. I was in the Air Force but feel like I'm lost at sea alone.

My experience with the VA, and the homeless veterans program was one I know I will not allow myself to go through again. After living in the national forest in the Blue ridge mountains of Virginia out of my truck and tent year-round for approximately two years I reached a point where I was in need of assistance, due to my declining physical, mental, and emotional health. I reached out to my vet rep, he set up an appointment, after two hours of discussion I left the meeting full of hope, relief, and the feeling that someone truly does care. Being informed that everything will be ok, that's what they are here for, and not to worry that my cat and I will be in a new home within two week, and won't have to suffer another bitter cold winter in the wilderness. It's a difficult thing to dampen my spirits, or to drive the hope from my heart, but I soon learned that two hour meeting was in fact nothing but false hope. I remained in contact with my vet rep as often as I was able to due to travel difficulties, and the lack of cell service in my location. Not that it would have mattered if I was in daily contact with my vet rep, as he rarely replied to my emails, never returned my calls, eventually didn't respond to my emails with anything other than when you get your truck fixed come in to the office. Three year's after the original two hour meeting I was still living in the wilderness, and just recently made it out and into an apartment due to my truck being totaled, selling my off grid living equipment, my truck to a scrap yard, and thankfully assistance through Volunteers of America, not the VA, not my vet rep. I would like to give my opinion and experience on my time of homelessness, for me it was not a highly tramatic experience as it is said to be in this podcast, not at all, it was the only place that provided the feelings of home, a place of healing, self discovery, inner reflection, peace, tranquility and much more. The wilderness and all the animals within never, not once, hurt me with false hope, nor did it ever leave me feeling worthless, confused, lost, alone. My choice to go into the wilderness came after a few life altering events, the passing of my veteran father, the unkind treatment of a spouse, and my body no longer able to work due to the severity of pain becoming more than I could manage to suck up and drive on with, injuries from a parachute malfunction at airborne school in 2000 in which my parachute collapsed and I free fell approximately 100ft.

As a homeless veteran in Austin, I feel compelled to share my experience with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Despite their claim of ensuring every veteran has a safe place to call home, I've reached out for help to no avail. My situation isn't due to drugs or alcohol; it's simply because shelters won't accommodate my two service dogs, hindering my ability to accept a job offer I have lined up. The VASH program, touted as a solution, seems unreachable as vouchers are allegedly depleted with no timeframe for availability. It's disheartening that the very system meant to support veterans fails those in need like myself. The reality on the ground doesn't align with the promises made by the VA.