Female Veterans Face Unemployment and Homelessness

The Huffington Post is reporting that despite the growing number of women serving in the armed forces, female veterans are still less accepted on the home front. American communities more readily accept -- and offer help to -- male service members, while female veterans are left to navigate unemployment, homlessness, hunger, and physical and mental abuse alone after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the article, despite fighting and dying in wars, women are still not accorded the same level of respect as their male counterparts. There are some organizations, like U.S. Vets Initiative in California, that are trying to help female veterans, but they are few and far between.

Female veterans also face "a shocking amount" of sexual harassment and sexual assault, so many are returning with sexual trauma on top of post-traumatic stress disorder. Talk about being kicked while down. We have got to do more to protect women while they are abroad and to help them get back on their feet when they return home. For any veteran, male or female, to be living on the streets after serving this country is unacceptable.