1. Your hand picked Documentary was quite sad in seeing that anyone is homeless.

But the issue here is Political and about Homeless Vets.
Edwards is wrong with his data, it is dated, old.
The most recent data was released by the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development, story in USA Today 12/07, by Wendy Koch. The story states there is a national decline in the number of chronically homeless who live on the streets or in emergency shelters. The number fell 12% to 155,623 in Jan 2006, from 175,914 in Jan 2005.

ALL ESTIMATES OF NUMBER OF HOMELESS VETS are taken
from a per cent of the homeless people per night in the USA. There is or never was an ACTUAL count of homeless Vets, just a 23% figure of the total homeless = homeless Vets. National Homeless Coalition of Homeless Vets uses that 23% figure as does the VA. So the figure of 200,000 homeless Vets every night is very inaccurate and old.

The actual figure of homeless Vets every night would be 23% of the total homeless per night, or more accurate count of 35,800 Homeless Vets every night, not 200,000.

Edwards,should have checked for the latest data before saying anything. Edwards is incorrect, the correct total is 35,800 homeless Vets every night

Jeff look at Edwards video again, he states Vets Homeless problem is because of the Economy. The major problem is complex, 25% of Vets have drug problems and 50% have Alcohol problems. The facts are a matter of record and you know it, do not keep playing dumb.

Videos are very nice, but do not address the problems of of the thousands of Vets, just a study of a group in the video.

Jeff, your concern for the welfare of the US Homeless is PHONEY. You concern is for a subject to present on your blog, your hate for ORielly and Fox News. You have never, from my memory, showed any true concern for any US Vets in the past. This is a first, right. Please correct me if I am wrong

ROBERT OKANE at 5:20AM on Feb 3rd 2008

2. Bob Okane : I don't agree with the figures that homeless veterans are 23% of the total homeless. The number appears way to high, does not relate to other known information about veterans and has the appearance of a WAG (wild a**ed guess to those without engineering or business degrees).

As I have said before, I spend 28 years either as a veterans counselor or as an administrative law judge and have extensive experience dealing with both veterans and the general population homeless.

Veterans comprising 23% of the general homeless population is a factoid that does not agree with any other data about veterans. In general, veterns, even Vietnam veterans, do better in most population catagories surveyed than the general population. Thus you might expect and do find veterans, as a rule and in general, do better as a group than non-veterans.

So, I wonder about how the figure of 23% was developed. Is it a Snyderism? Based upon my experience, I would consider homeless veterans to be less than ten percent of the homeless population. I held roughly 1200 hearing a year for 14 years on a special panel that dealt with homeless and homeless issues. There were homeless veterans that appeared before me but they weren't almost a quarter of my case load. In my professional opinion, homeless veterans made up about ten percent of my caseload.

I have said it before and I will say it again - thefigure of 23% of the homeless being veterans does not pass the smell test.

longwalker at 6:18AM on Feb 3rd 2008

3. Longwalker

please check USA Today stories

Veterans make up 1 in 4 homeless dated 11/7/07
and
Federal study cites fewer homeless-11/6/07 & 12/7/07

ROBERT OKANE at 6:46AM on Feb 3rd 2008

4. Do you know how close any of us are to being without a home? Let Mom move away or die, or live where extra people aren't allowed. Then try to get a job and fail. Maybe you're too old or injured to rejoin the military, or lift boxes. You have no close family, because yours moved away from the extended family three generations ago. Try going home and find it's not there. No one knows you. They think you should get a job. Your good clothes are too small, and your sister gave them to the Goodwill when you left, along with your babys' artwork, because she is a minimalist. You can't believe you wound up this way, are hungry, and it's cold, or hot. Next? What if you are male? That's worse. The Hope House won't take single men, the Rescue Mission will only take you for X number of nights out of the week. Job? There are mosquitoes, lots of them. Car? You have to be kidding. Go where it's warm, and take a mosquito net.

Grandma in Florida at 9:07AM on Feb 3rd 2008

5. Bob Okane : I have read those stories. The idea that veterans compose 1/4 of all homeless does not agree with my own experience. Nor does it agree with the relationship that veterans have with the general population. Neither the USA Today stories nor the Federal studies pass my smell test.

longwalker at 11:24AM on Feb 3rd 2008

6. What I got out of this video, is that there are a certain group of individuals who enlisted in the military looking for a free ride, and then got out looking for a free ride. Separating from military service without a game plan, especially when you have a "family", is stupid and irresponsible. How nice would it be to just serve a four year enlistment, then check out and have the government support you for the rest of your life-- house, car, pay check, without ever having to lift a finger?
If these veterans are suddenly so concerned about their children and family life, then why wasn't it a priority before separating? When I was active duty, if you had a family you lived like kings; base housing, dependent pay, all utilities paid for, family medical care, etc.
I could understand the need for some post-separation support for individuals who were drafted into military service, through no control of their own, but I don't recall anyone being drafted recently. It's also highly improbable that the motivating factor for these people to enlist into military service was to "fight for my country," as so frequently mentioned.

lizard at 2:16PM on Feb 3rd 2008

7. Lizard, wow this is a first. I agree with you. People SHOULD NOT enlist in the military unless they intend to make it a life time (no matter how short that may be) commitment. Go with the knowledge that you may be killed in war and there is not any support after you get out. Dad was USAF for 20 years. Uncle for 35. Today there is NO draft so I have NO sympathy for anyone who enlisted under this president and expected any better treatment.

Heidi at 4:31PM on Feb 3rd 2008

8. So you're saying that The number fell 12% to 155,623 in Jan 2006, from 175,914 in Jan 2005.


Golly, we should be proud if we only have 155,623 homeless vets instead of 195,000 homeless vets.

DAMN THAT EDWARDS!!!

When are you guys going to learn? Every day, O'Rielly needs a new way to rile you fools, formerly known as DITTOHEADS. He screwed up - whether one likes Fux Noise or despises Fux Noise - O'Rielly screwed up. Your devotion to him is repulsive.

Lizard, I suspect that you are right. I do wonder though, what role recruiters play in telling these young people to expect that their lives will forever change for the better. Joining the military makes a lot of sense for a lot of young people. Unfortunately, there must be jobs in the civilian market for them. Last month the U.S. lost 17,000 jobs. The repugs promised in increase. Ooops.

Captain Negative at 4:45PM on Feb 3rd 2008

9. According to the Vetrans Administration 195,000 Vetrans are homeless ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT.

According to the Vetrans Adminsitration 400,000 Vetrans are homeless OVER THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR.

According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999.

On any given night, 1 of 3 homeless *men* is a vetran.

23% of homeless people in America are Vetrans.

Captain Negative at 5:22PM on Feb 3rd 2008

10. The National Homeless is using outdated data to show the total homeless during course of one year. The Veterans Affairs also uses outdated numbers on the total Homeless.

The 2006 , and the latest available, study by the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development on the number of chronically homeless ADULTS (NOT VETERANS) a total of 155,623 in January 2006. This is data taken on a single day from 3900 cities and counties, which the number of 155,623 represents the total of homeless on any ONE GIVEN DAY.

Veterans make up a total of 1 of 4 of the homeless for one night, or another figure of 23%

The updated number of homeless Vet per night is now 35,800 chronically homeless Vets, far short of the 200,000 number Edwards was using.
This is based on the newest available data that there is.

Stories in USA Today 1-Veterans make up 1 in 4 homeless 2-Federal study Sites Fewer Homeless

ROBERT OKANE at 5:59PM on Feb 3rd 2008

11. Neither the USA Today stories nor the Federal studies pass my smell test.

longwalker at 11:24AM on Feb 3rd 2008
--------------------------------------------------

Now there is an impressive argument if ever I've heard one. We can ignore the USA Today and Vetrans Administration because they don't match longwalker's, "smell test."

What can we conclude?

We have looked at a bunch of stats and can agree that roughly 23-25% of our homeless population is made up of Vetrans.

We can agree that between 155,000 and 200,000 vetrans are homeless ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT.

We can (or should) agree that THE NUMBERS DOUBLE OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR.

We can conclude that O'Rielly was talking out his ass when he needed a story to whip the fools who worship him into a frenzy and that he picked the wrong topic.... or did he?

The real lessons from this O'Reilly debacle is that he has a cult-like following of morons, willing to accept anything he says, uncritically.

Captain Negative at 6:09PM on Feb 3rd 2008

12. It's just.... well... it's just that there doesn't SMELL like there are that many homeless... goddammit!

not-pboyfloyd at 10:11PM on Feb 3rd 2008

13. Yes, we can agree that the current Homeless Population numbers from HUD shows appox 38,000 Homeless Vets a night.

Longwalker believes that through his professional experience with Homeless People, that there are less than 38,000 homeless vets per night.

ROBERT OKANE at 12:51AM on Feb 4th 2008

14. The numbers here are irrelevent. The point is there are homeless. So the government should establish a new program to deal with this problem. Build them homes and give them money to maintain them. You can't hold the homeless accountable for their own demise, it' not their fault, its the governments. Therefore its the repugs fault. Oh wait, I guess they're not responsible for they're actions either. I just don't know who to blame.

wayne at 2:35AM on Feb 4th 2008

15. Good. Then we're agreed that there are between 155,000 and 200,000 vetrans sleeping in shelters, on grates and under bridges, along with the rest of the homeless Americans.

And we're all agreed that it is,"BILL O'Rielly" and not, "JESUS O'Rielly," and that he was flat out wrong.

I'm glad we had this chance to chat. I'll leave you to wonder what else O'Rielly has lied to you about.

Captain Negative at 3:17AM on Feb 4th 2008