A recent survey released by the Orange County Community Foundation revealed some of the financial, housing and health issues encountered by soldiers who call this California region home in their life after service.
Work and education
According to the report, servicemembers in this area encounter numerous obstacles as they transition back to civilian life. This is especially true for post-9/11 veterans – 61 percent of this demographic stated that they had difficulty making the switch, as opposed to only 30 percent of pre-9/11 soldiers. Much of this has to do with uncertainty – about 61 percent of these younger vets stated that one of the most challenging components of the transition was figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives. Finding work was a concern for both younger and older veterans. Almost 74 percent of post-9/11 veterans said they did not have a job upon leaving the service, while this statement was true for almost 70 percent of pre-9/11 soldiers.
The Orange County Register explained that although job hunting was an obstacle faced by nearly all the veterans surveyed, many of them did not anticipate it to be such a large problem. While these vets acquired a number of transferable skills during their time in the military, like leadership, teamwork and organization, a significant portion of them lack the education to achieve full-time or high-paying jobs. Additionally, many of them felt that only being able to apply for jobs online was hurting their chances of securing work.
Health
Medical care for both physical and mental disabilities has recently come to the forefront of veterans issues as the government looks to improve the quality of care offered through Veterans Affairs. While about 70 percent of veterans surveyed felt they were in good health, nearly 50 percent of them tested positive for some level of post-traumatic stress disorder. The majority of soldiers who took part in the report were without physical disabilities, but those who were cited their arms, legs and joints as bothering them the most.
Housing
Most Orange County veterans had somewhere to live upon leaving the service, explained the report, but significant portions of them did not. About 71 percent of pre-9/11 vets had secured housing for after their transition, while almost 65 percent of post-9/11 servicemembers had somewhere to live. The survey noted that many of the veterans who reported having housing were actually moving in to temporary situations with friends or family members as opposed to their own residences.
Homeless rates for veterans in the area remained fairly low and were higher among pre-9/11 veterans. About 17.5 percent of this older demographic reported being homeless in the past 30 days, as opposed to 10.3 percent of pre-9/11 vets.
"There were some gripping statistics from the study that echoes what we've seen in our work over the past couple of years," Shelly Hoss, president of the Orange County Community Foundation, told My News LA.