There will always be veterans. At least, that has been the case since our country’s inception. Veterans have an arc that stretches from muskets to smart bombs. They are also a group that, depending on a nation’s mood, has been both vilified and honored.
Now, almost fully recovered from the Viet Nam era when, perhaps, the country’s least popular and most controversial war was waged, veterans are today routinely honored and especially on Veterans Day.
Across the country, it is estimated that there are approximately 16 million veterans, men and women who have served on active duty, an estimated six percent of the population. One cohort of veterans, WWII veterans, has seen its numbers dwindle to about 116,000, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA also says that this group once numbered 16 million.
While the country has pledged to always meet the needs of this group, there will always be those who fall through the proverbial cracks. Today the VA estimates that there are approximately 37,000 veterans who are “experiencing homelessness.” But the number is down from a 2010 high of 74,000.
At Metropolitan State University-Denver, the school’s Veteran and Military Student Services program, said its director, makes every effort to meet the needs of the nearly 900 veterans or surviving spouses of veterans currently enrolled. Joe Foster, a retired Lieutenant Colonel with 28 years’ service, says its approach is as comprehensive as possible.
Because MSU-Denver has this unique population, “there is a need for both academic support and professional development,” Foster said. But another reason for the school’s support for veterans, he said, may be the result of its president. Janine Davidson, who has been MSU-Denver’s president since 2016. Davidson is also an Air Force veteran who also served as Under Secretary of the Navy in the Obama Administration.
Foster said that while most veterans enrolled at MSU-Denver do not fall into the category of homeless, any veteran with housing challenges and asking for assistance gets the office’s support. The program works regularly with city and county resources to address this issue.
It works with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, VOA, the Denver Veterans Center and a number of non-profits. It is not a matter of not wanting to directly address a veterans’ needs, Foster said, but “there are resources better designed to much more effectively handle those situations than our office.” Still, his office, he said, is the starting point when the request for help occurs.
Foster, who spent half of his career as an officer in jet aircraft maintenance and the rest as an instructor at the Air Force Academy, said that two thirds of the school’s veterans “are between 25-35.” Most, like the majority of MSU-Denver students, attend school and also have jobs. Like other schools with an older population, it’s what is known as a commuter school.
He also said that one trend that has changed over the last several years is the military experience current veteran students have had. “The big surges in combat, Iraq and Afghanistan, are now 10-15 years behind us,” said the former Air Force officer. “The ‘curve,’ those who had been in sustained and repeated combat operations, is not as represented in our veteran population.”
Nonetheless, MSU-Denver offers a counseling center for the veterans. It also keeps a veterans’ lounge for those who need computers, printing or just want to drop in. “We welcome any veteran stopping in,” Foster said. “We also have a food pantry that we like to have pretty well stocked,” for those who might want a quick snack. The pantry also provides “canned and frozen goods” that veterans can access if needed.
“We don’t advertise,” Foster said, but says anyone wanting to know its location should know it’s in the Tivoli building. But word of mouth has gotten around and the center’s “seen a significant increase in its use…it’s a place where every military student is comfortable.”
The school’s veterans’ outreach has received the highest marks from the VA, Foster said. “We recently passed a Veterans Administration compliance with zero discrepancies. That hardly ever happens with large schools.” MSU-Denver’s student population is now listed at nearly 16,000.
The challenge of meeting the needs for unhoused veterans has been made the highest priority for the federal government. HUD, VA, and USICH have all committed to addressing and reducing veteran homelessness. HUD, for example, is working with public housing authorities “in identifying additional vacant apartments and engaging landlords” to close this gap.
While the homeless or unhoused number of veterans has steadily decreased, the challenge remains vexing. In a number of studies from 1987 to 2014, the highest risk factors for homelessness among veterans were mental illness and substance abuse. Following close were low-income levels and “other income-related factors.”
In addition to the services offered to veterans at MSU-Denver, Foster also said that there is an office that aids veterans who need help with learning about and accessing veterans and military benefits. MSU-Denver also has an office of Veteran Certification.
