AbstractsSociology

Homelessness is a form of detachment from society, characterized by a lack of policy and deficiency of managed programs and community awareness that provides enough housing. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate situational homelessness from the perspective of 20 situationally homeless military veterans in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Interviews of 20 homeless veterans living in the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training (MCVET) transitional housing facility revealed 4 themes that represented homeless veterans’ perceptions of homeless prevention programs. The emerging themes consisted of the lack of effective veteran education, oppressiveness of system, the lack of effective transitional housing facilities for homeless veterans with families, and a need for compassion. After serving in the military, veterans returning to civilian life who find themselves in a situationally homeless condition felt they should be guaranteed access to effective homelessness services, effective community of care and support systems, and on the job training programs that link to professional jobs that provide benefits to enable economic sustainability. The effect of returning to civilian life after serving in the military represented a unique perspective in how homeless veterans react to homelessness services and the lack of support systems. The study findings add insight to homelessness from the viewpoint of those affected, offer prevention strategies in addressing veteran homelessness, and suggest the need for changes in policy.