Tim McGraw, Country Singer, Helps Vets

Here is the link to the article:
Tim McGraw Gives Homes to Vets

This is just one more reason why I love Tim McGraw. I love his music and he is an honest and genuine man. Through Home Front, an organization he created in conjunction with Operation Home Front, he was able to help give away 18 mortgage-free homes to different Veterans and their families. Most people don't know that a lot of our veterans are homeless. As of January 2011, there were more than 50,000 homeless veterans and a little less than 150,000 "veterans spend at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing". This is a nation wide problem that should not have occurred in the first place. These men and women fight for our freedoms and lay their lives on the line for us. The least we could do is help take care of them when they come home, if they make it home.

Here are some facts about Veteran Homelessness (from http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/about_the_initiative.asp):

• On a single night in January 2011, 67,495 homeless Veterans spent the night on the streets of America.
• An estimated 144,842 Veterans spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program in one recent year.
• Many other Veterans are considered at risk of homelessness because of poverty, lack of support from family and friends, substance use or mental health issues, and precarious living conditions.
• VA is the only federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
• Each year, VA’s specialized homelessness programs provide health care to almost 150,000 homeless Veterans and other services to more than 112,000 Veterans.
• More than 40,000 homeless Veterans receive compensation or pension benefits each month.
• Although they are limited to Veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country.

This is something that should not happen. And it is something that we as Americans and we as a country should try to fix and prevent. When asked about the initiative, Tim McGraw said, "What better thing to provide a wounded warrior than safety and security." Good man in my opinion. There need to be more people that are in a position like his that do more for our veterans.