A crisis that hits veterans hard

(Ottawa) The age of homeless veterans hit Alan Mulawishin. This Canadian Armed Forces retiree is the Deputy Director of Veterans House Canada, an organization in Ottawa dedicated to providing housing for these ex-servicemen.

“The average age of our tenants is 58,” he notes. Some are over 70 years old. “It surprised me because theoretically, at that age, they should be retired and enjoy the time they have left,” he adds.

They previously lived on the street — or were on the verge of ending up there — before moving into a 40-apartment building dedicated to them, the first in the country. Veterans House Canada’s Andy Carswell Building, located on a former Royal Canadian Air Force base east of Ottawa, is slated to open in 2021. In addition to affordable rent, residents have access to a social worker. Department of Veterans Affairs, psychological support and many group activities to create a sense of camaraderie like in the military. Some try to treat alcohol or drug addiction.

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“I can build a second building tomorrow and fill it,” said Mr. Mulavishin says without hesitation. Six months ago, eight people were on the waiting list. Today, there are more than 30. The domestic crisis did not spare the soldiers.

Having a permanent home gives these men and women stability they haven’t enjoyed since leaving the forces. “You don’t have to worry about where you’ll sleep at night, about someone stealing your stuff from your shelter, about the weather, whether you have an address for Veterans Affairs to send you stuff or get Internet access. Lists. We take all those little things for granted.”

How many are they?

Homelessness among veterans is difficult to quantify. Fewer than 2,000 of them have reported homelessness to the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2014, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information request. However, their numbers vary from 2,400 to 10,000, according to a recent report prepared for a federal housing advocate by graduate students at McGill University.

“They are more independent, have less faith in institutions, so they sleep with friends, live in campsites or in their cars,” Mr. Mulavishin explains. And they are two to three times more likely to be homeless.

A count of people experiencing homelessness conducted in Quebec in 2022 shows that more than 4% of people living on the streets have already served in the Canadian Armed Forces, while soldiers make up only 1.5%. “With a growing housing crisis across Canada, more veterans will fall into homelessness unless the federal government takes a more proactive, human rights-based approach,” warns the report, signed by Taylor Chase, Alison Clement, Sandrine Desforges and Anmol. Gupta from McGill University.

“My job is Weapons Technician”

“No one knows that I am a soldier. I don’t know that myself,” says Bill Beaton. The 67-year-old visited homeless shelters for decades after leaving the military in the 1980s. His military career lasted six years. He did not know that since he had not served abroad, he was eligible for some central government services that could have helped him. Until he met the soldiers in the street organization who put him in touch with the Veterans Home. He welcomes us into his small, brand new studio, with walls lined with DVD cases and psychedelic posters.

“This is my first time decorating,” she says. That makes me sad… but that means I’m planning to stay, right? »

By his own admission, he hadn’t lived in one place in more than two years, and was ready to move at any moment after a long struggle with opioid addiction. After leaving the armed forces, he alternated between dingy apartments and homeless shelters, recalling military life where everything was done on time and there was a strong sense of team.

Like many veterans who end up on the streets, the transition to civilian life was difficult.

Bill Beaton tried to distract himself by taking sales training and switching between several jobs, but one day he was out of a job. He has also served time in prison for selling ganja. Upon his release, it was only a step back to the streets that had already welcomed him when he left his foster family at age 15. The cost of apartments was too much for his normal budget.

“Totally unacceptable”

“This is completely unacceptable,” condemned Alberta Conservative MP Blake Richards. “The government doesn’t value veterans enough and what they’ve done for us,” he continues.

“When we ask people to serve our country, we have to make sure that this service is delivered to them,” underscores New Democrat MP Rachel Blaney.

A resolution passed unanimously in 2019 set a goal of ending homelessness among veterans by 2025. It is a problem that can be “entirely” eliminated “within a few years” if the central government adopts a concerted strategy. House of Commons by Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.

In collaboration with William Leclerc, Pres