Stopped by my local American Legion today to make a donation.
The relationship between veterans and poverty is complex. Nationally, poverty among veterans is half that compared to the general public. But when vets fall through the cracks, they can fall hard. Poverty coupled with other factors like a lack of support networks or substandard housing has made it 50 percent more likely for veterans to become homeless than other Americans. There are still 1.5 million young veterans who live with incomes below the poverty line. In 2011, about 900,000 veterans lived in households that relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a government food stamp program. Government cuts to the program will affect about 5,000 troops according to the Pentagon. http://wheaton.patch.com/groups/newscruncher/p/map-do-veterans-live-in-the-impoverished-parts-of-town-wheaton
