Not Enough Being Done
Although there are several federal and state programs available that are intended to help Veterans transition to local communities, many of these programs are not designed to provide a continuity of assistance. This lack of support has created unmet needs not currently being addressed.
20 Veterans Commit Suicide Daily
Due to these unmet needs, many Veterans become unemployed, get divorced, file bankruptcy, fall into alcohol and drug abuse, become homeless, get incarcerated, or tragically become one of the 20 Veterans a day who commit suicide.
According to and editorial on the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs website, 7,300 Veterans commit suicide a year. Nearly 600 of those are Florida Veterans who commit suicide a year. That means almost 10% of all Veteran suicides are from Florida.
Homeless-Imprisoned-Homeless-Repeat
Incarceration and recidivism rates among veterans are at historic levels as a direct result of their failure to successfully transition from military service to civilian life. Some Veterans struggle after being discharged from the military, because they go from a very structured, purpose-driven life where they are at times making life-and-death decisions to a civilian life with little or no identified purpose. Some of these individuals find themselves at odds with the law and end up incarcerated. Many suffer from untreated PTSD.
How Warriors to Farmers Can Help
Warriors to Farmers believes that these individuals have served their country honorably and we as a nation owe them the opportunity to get back on track.
The Warriors to Farmers Program will fulfill the unmet needs for a select group of Veterans who want to learn agriculture. The possibility of reaching at least 2% of these Veterans suffering from PTSD and providing them with training for a profession in farming, is great.
This model is designed to reintroduce each Veteran with structure, self-discipline, teamwork, work ethic, and pride, combined with “soft skill/life training,” high-demand agricultural work skills, financial stability, and local support from a mentor/life coach to address situations and needs once they are in their community.
This highly structured, controlled, self-sufficient, and safe environment will be used to train Veterans who suffer from PTSD. Veterans will grow to understand Warriors to Farmers Program’s mission, which requires each Veteran to perform both independently and interdependently with others on this working farm.
The Impact to the State of Florida
In their most recent “Special Report” on veterans’ incarceration in state prisons and local jails, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reported the veteran incarceration rate was 855 per 100,000 veterans, a significant increase of the rate of 630 per 100,000 veterans reported seven years earlier.
Based upon this reports incarceration rate (855/100,000) and the most recent U. S.Veterans Affairs population statistics, the number of incarcerated veterans is estimated to be:
- National 174,000 veterans
- Florida 6,700 veterans
Florida has segregated living arrangements and a special Veteran peers program to help incarcerated prisoners adapt. V2A wants to continue in that same trek when the Veterans leaves prison.
In addition to recidivism rates, Veterans have a greater risk of homelessness. Though this rate has fallen over the past few years, a lot of work still needs to be done. Based upon the “2020 HUD Report,” the homeless rates for Veterans were as follows:
- National 40,000 veterans
- Florida 2,436 veterans
According to the University of Central Florida’s public media website, “Florida is one of the top ‘hot spots’ for homeless veterans making it the focus of VA officials who have the stated goal of ending veteran homelessness by December 2015. The others are Texas, California and New York . . . The most recent census estimates there are still 5,300 homeless veterans in Florida, about 17 percent of the national population of almost 31,000.” That goal was not reached. There are still approximately 2,500 homeless Veterans.
Research shows there is a lack of support for Veterans to achieve a smooth transition from military service back into society. A need exists for a highly structured, comprehensive transition program designed to meet each Veteran’s specific individualized need and produce measurable outcomes for a Veteran in the community they live in.