I have had many discussions with my friends and family about homelessness: what life is like, why people become homeless, and how we can combat the issue.  One thing that I noticed in almost every one of these discussions is that every time the word “veteran” is brought up, there is a shift in people’s tone.  Sure, having fought in war takes a severe toll on people, physically and mentally.  Even members of the Republican Party, who have a conservative and hands-free approach to dealing with homelessness and poverty, feel an obligation to give back to veterans, and make sure they are taken care of.

In some ways this is a good thing, that we are making sure people who have served this country have basic necessities (or at least saying we are).  But what  infuriates me is how it polarizes different groups of homeless people and glamorizes war.  If you fight, we actually care about you.  But any other circumstance by which you are homeless, we may or may not.  Isn’t domestic violence just as big of a toll as war a lot of the time?  What about disease or disability?  We are such a militarized country that we tend to put all of our energy to only homeless veterans, and classify others as undeserving or unworthy.