Veterans in street battle

MORE than one in 20 homeless people around Australia are Defence Force veterans, a shocking new report reveals.

The previously hidden plight of hundreds of exservice men and women sleeping on the street has prompted calls for more to be done to identify and support veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and other problems.

“More proactive follow-up is essential to stop them falling through the cracks and becoming homeless,” said Karyn Walsh, CEO of Brisbane’s leading homelessness service Micah Projects.

“Veterans are more hesitant to come to services so we all need to be aware how trauma impacts on their ability or willingness to seek support.

“There might be an element of feeling guilt or shame because they have not coped. People might be embarrassed to ask for help.”

The problem has been highlighted in the report “The State of Homelessness in Australia’s Cities”, being released today by the Centre for Social Impact at the University of WA.