Friday, November 09, 2007

Some Details from that Nov. 2007 Report on Homeless MN Vets 

Here are some exact quotations from the Wilder Foundation Report I discussed early today in MN Veterans Are NOT at Increased Risk for Homelessness.
"The profile presented here suggests that homelessness in Minnesota is as likely to touch veterans as any other state residents." (p. 1)

"Veterans make up 13 percent of all homeless adults and 24 percent of all homeless men. These proportions are very similar to the proportion of veterans found in the general adult population. In 2006, military veterans made up slightly less than 11 percent of all adults in Minnesota, and 21 percent of adult men in Minnesota." (p. 2)

""When looking at the total adult population experiencing homelessness, the percent who were U.S. military veterans decreased from 22 percent in 1991 to 13 percent in 2006. As a percentage of men experiencing homelessness, the percentage also declined, (34% in 1991 and 24% in 2006)." (p. 2)
My earlier post highlighted the fact that the number of homeless veterans has gone down by more than 10% since 2003. Here's how that important fact got relegated to an afterthought in the newpaper stories. Once again, these are exact quotations from the Wilder Foundation Report.
This study gives a snapshot of U.S. military veterans experiencing homelessness in Minnesota on a single day in 2006. (p. 2)

And while the total number of homeless veterans is down compared to Wilder�s last two studies, the level of distress in this population is up. One recent report by the Iraq Veteran Project indicates that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are not only at significant risk for homelessness but are actually more likely to become homeless sooner than their predecessors following the Vietnam War. (p. 1)
Observe the shift from a factual snapshot to the use of minimizing language based on speculation about the future.

The Wilder Foundation gives no citation or link to the "recent report by the Iraq Veteran Project" on which it relies so heavily. So what is the Iraq Veteran Project? The website of Swords to Plowshares, a San Francisco advocacy group, includes among its employees "Amy Fairweather, Iraq Veteran Project." The first of the "Honorary Co-Chairs" of their annual Veteran's Day fundraiser last night was none other than that staunch supporter (sarcasm) of the use of military force, "Speaker Nancy Pelosi."

More to come as I have time...

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