Community Issue: Homelessness of Veterans
Assignment 1: Capstone 3- Community Issue Action Paper
Community Issue / Action paper. In public/community/global health and nursing practice the role of advocate acquires considerable importance as the act of nursing a community often means influencing health policy. Often prompted by problems with environmental aspects, health care delivery, or service provision to communities or groups within the community different state/federal senators/representatives and other influential people will propose solutions that result in a fracturing of community unity. The dissolution of community unity results in the formation of special groups that take opposing sides, one in support of the proposal while the other group stands in opposition. The PHN must have the skill to clearly delineate the validity of the opposing arguments in order to act as community advocate. The purpose of this paper is to identify an environmental, health policy, service or health care delivery problem that affects the health of aggregates / populations within the community (see list of topics). As a group of 1-2 students each group will have the opportunity to identify the scope of the problem, discuss the potential solution, present and analyze the opposing arguments, and then argue a professional stance on this issue. The following criteria will be used to develop this paper.
- Develop an introductory discussion explaining the background and the scope of the problem, its relevance to public/community health and nursing, the current status of the problem and the proposed solution to the problem. Conclude this section with a clearly stated issue statement. (20 points)
- Using current periodicals, newspaper articles, magazines, and if possible at least one professional journal describe two positions that support the issue solution and two positions that oppose the issue solution. These arguments must be unbiased presentations of the various positions being explicated. Clearly identify and reference any legal, ethical, social, political, or cultural factors that might influence opposing positions. (Note: not every issue will have any or all of these influencing factors). (25 points)
- Indicate your position on this issue give evidence of how and why you take this conclusion. Comment on the significance of this paper to your conceptualization of the role and scope of community health practice. What challenges did you face as you wrote this paper? (25points)
- Comprise a letter to someone with the power to affect the issue (e.g. your legislative representative or appropriate organization) expressing your professional position on the issue.
Include the letter with your paper. (Letter should be in appropriate business format and written from the viewpoint of public health/ nursing worldview) (15 points)
Include a minimum of 7 references. The paper and references should be done in APA format. (15 points)
Use periodicals, newspaper(s) that are current within 6 months and journals within 3 years.
Maximum length: 10-12 pages
Homelessness of Veterans
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Number and Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
Homelessness of Veterans
In most cities in the United States, one does not have to walk far before encountering homeless members of the populace. These individuals lack proper housing, self-safety, secure sources of sustenance, and access to preventive healthcare (Moranda, 2020). Individuals who suffer from this problem describe it as an incurable virus owing to the myriad of adversities that go with it. For instance, they are prone to such exploitations as murder and forced prostitution, among other crimes. In short, they literally struggle to survive.
The problem does not discriminate, and people from all races, religions or sexual orientations can fall victim. One significant group of homeless people is homeless veterans. These are American individuals who served in different wars and military operations but now cannot afford decent accommodations owing to a combination of factors. Some fundamental factors that contribute to veterans being homeless include lack of income, substance abuse, mental illnesses, and a lack of family and social support networks. According to Moranda (2020), substance use remains an outstanding contributor to homelessness among veterans. As such, more focus must be directed toward rehabilitating veterans by offering them accommodation and requisite treatment.
Honorably and Dishonorably Discharged Veterans
One of the most prominent needs homeless veterans have is a well-structured program that provides basic healthcare, proper housing, and nutritional meals. In this regard, the Veterans Affairs (VA) introduced a program to provide veterans with housing services and access to medical social workers. The department of Veterans Affairs (VA) runs programs that benefit veterans and their family members. Other services offered by VA include pensions, GI bill for education, and home loan assistance, among others (Law for Veterans, 2022). However, to qualify for these benefits, the VA factors in the kind of discharge veterans had. Veterans with an honorable discharge qualify for the benefits. Honorable discharge means the officers competently discharged their duties. It also means that they followed the stipulated rules and laws.
On the flip side, those with a dishonorable discharge undergo some vetting process to determine whether they qualify for the benefits. Dishonorable discharge is often undesirable, and it generally happens when the conduct of service members results in punishment following the violation of the stipulated rules and laws governing the military. Examples of conduct that warrant dishonorable discharge include security violations, arrest and conviction by civilian authorities, drug violations, and abuse of power (Law for Veterans, 2022). More often than not, such a discharge disqualifies veterans from the veterans' benefits. However, in exceptional situations, VA officials may decide otherwise, and after reviewing the discharge, a veteran may receive medical benefits.
Relevance of Homelessness to Public Health
Homelessness presents myriad adversities that make the problem a health issue that relevant stakeholders should address with expediency. For in...
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