The facts speak for themselves:

• Veterans are nearly five times as likely to be homeless than the rest of the population. (Veterans Administration)
  
  
• One out of four homeless people in America is a veteran, although veterans make up only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. (Associated Press)
  
  
• Minorities are overrepresented among homeless veterans, just as they are among the homeless population in general. Black veterans are 1.4 times more likely to be homeless than white veterans. (Rosenheck, 1996)
  
  
• Women represent an estimated 4 percent of homeless veterans and are more likely than their male counterparts to be married and to suffer serious psychiatric illness. (Rosenheck, 1996)
  
  
• Homelessness is not just a problem among middle-aged and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services and treatment. The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Associated Press)
  
  
• A recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that 15 to 17 percent of Iraq vets meet "the screening criteria for major depression, generalized anxiety, or PTSD." Of those, only 23 to 40 percent are seeking help - in part because so many others fear the stigma of having a mental disorder.
  

When the men and women who fight our wars put away their uniforms to return to civilian life, we cannot forget them. They have earned the right to dignity and hope. Let us serve those who have served on our behalf.