Sam Spade's San Francisco

One out of every four homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in San Francisco has put on a uniform and served this country.

According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999), veterans account for 23% of all homeless people in America.

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans no one keeps national records on homeless veterans. The Veterans Administration estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night and nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year.

The most effective programs for homeless and at-risk veterans are community-based, nonprofit, "veterans helping veterans" groups. Because government money for homeless veterans is currently limited and serves only one in 10 of those in need, it is critical that community groups reach out to help provide the support, resources and opportunities most Americans take for granted: housing, employment and health care. In San Francisco that community-based group is Swords to Plowshares.

Swords to Plowshares was started in 1974 by six veterans volunteering at the Veterans Administration in San Francisco and a few others who were concerned that the needs of returning Vietnam veterans were not being addressed. Today we are seeing the aftermath of the Vietnam War all over again. This time it is called the Iraq-Afghanistan War.

Ensuring that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans receive the support, services and protection they need to successfully transition home is a huge undertaking. Swords to Plowshares services are available to all veterans, former active duty, Guard and Reserve, with any type of discharge. The message is simply, Welcome Home.

The Iraq Veterans Project

• Swords to Plowshares Legal Department offers free professional legal services for VA disability and benefit claims. They offer one time case assessment and technical support to full representation through the appeals process, depending on the nature of each individual case.
• Swords to Plowshares’ Employment and Training Department works with newly separated veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area to develop career development support. They work one-on-one with veterans to craft the right job strategy, whether the veteran was enlisted infantry just embarking on a civilian career or a Reserve officer making a mid-career change.
  
• The Iraq Veteran Project staff provide resources and referrals, OIF/OEF veterans and their families, including assistance navigating educational benefits, accessing VA care, and help finding veterans services where they live.
• Swords to Plowshares also provides policy education regarding the issues facing new veterans and their families and advocate for increased access to mental health, employment, housing and family resources.

For more information email ,
or call
and ask for Shannon Kissinger, Outreach Coordinator
or
Amy Fairweather, Iraq Veterans Project Director

Important resources for returning veterans and those who are falling through the cracks and are in danger of becoming homeless are:

Swords to Plowshares (local - based in San Francisco)

Homeless Veterans, US Dept of Veterans Affairs

Stand Down (California Dept. of Veterans Affairs)

Alexander Hamilton Post 448 of the American Legion (San Francisco)