Veteran's Organization Held Memorial Day Barbeque for Hawaii's Homeless June 3, 2005
Communities in Action U.S. Vets, an organization which provides counseling, transitional housing and other services to homeless veterans in Kalaeloa, Hawaii, held a barbeque for the homeless at a park in Oahu on Memorial Day, the Honolulu Advertiser reported on May 31.Since 1993, U.S. Vets has worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, AmeriCorps, and other partners to offer treatment for substance abuse or mental illness to homeless veterans.
One volunteer, Myron Lathan, a Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War, said that his connection to other veterans is critical for his recovery. "I have to keep doing what I'm doing. Helping other veterans. Helping other homeless," said Lathan, who had been homeless and incarcerated due to his addiction to cocaine.
About 23 percent of the nation's homeless are veterans, and 70 percent of veterans have problems with drugs or alcohol, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
