Nov. 15--On any given night, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates about 131,000 U.S. veterans are homeless.

And local advocates believe many are right here in South Mississippi, which is now missing some resources it had to deal with the problem before Hurricane Katrina.

VA officials said although the community support network they relied on before the storm is missing some parts, they say they're about to launch some new programs to help homeless veterans.

On Veterans Day last week, former Navy man Early Johnson huddled thankfully over his lunch of rice and beans, salad and other items at Loaves & Fishes, a Biloxi soup kitchen that feeds the homeless and the hungry. Several men having lunch there said they had served in the military, but only Johnson agreed to talk to a reporter. Johnson, 58, was in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam, but in 1971 he received a medical discharge after nearly two years of service.

Today, he's a dialysis patient who receives treatment from the Biloxi VA. He also works there a few hours a week, earning a little money, but he says it's not enough to afford a home. Johnson said he is on the waiting list for public housing, but for now he sleeps on a bench most nights.

"It's hard, real hard," he said. "You've got to trust in God. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't make it. It is harder than you would ever imagine."

He said when he volunteered for the Navy as a 19-year-old, he never believed he'd wind up homeless, but this is the second time it's happened to him.

"I never had the smallest dream of it," Johnson said.

According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients, about 23 percent of the nation's homeless are veterans, 47 percent from the Vietnam era. The data shows many are homeless because of an affordable-housing shortage, low incomes and the lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, which, the group said, affect many of the homeless. Those problems are often compounded by the lack of family or friends for support, the group said.

The plight of the homeless is difficult for many to understand, especially as the VA does provide many services to veterans and there are other public-assistance programs for housing and living expenses they could depend on. Some advocates say many are homeless because they choose to be, or choose not to take advantage of aid available to them because they fear the consequences. Some may simply be loaners who don't trust others. Others may have an outstanding warrant, or owe child support, and believe the VA or other aid groups would turn them over to authorities if they sought help.

"They wonder, 'Is there a hook in there? Is this bait? I am going to get pulled up into the metaphorical boat?'" said Gary Hart, director of client services at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, which works with the homeless.

But officials with the VA and others said they are only interested in helping, not turning anyone in. Johnson, who routinely receives aid from the VA, said he would encourage his fellow homeless veterans to seek help.

A need here

Part of the reason there are homeless veterans here could be that some were once stationed at one of the South Mississippi military bases, such as Keesler Air Force Base, the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport or others, and know the area. The warm weather may also be a factor, Hart said.

In 2008, the VA estimated there were about 400 homeless veterans in the territory of the VA Gulf Coast Health Care System, which serves South Mississippi and parts of Alabama and northwest Florida.

The same projections also showed there were 910 homeless veterans in the area served by the Jackson VA hospital. That's a total of 1,310 homeless veterans in the area covered by the two Mississippi hospitals, but Brian Squyres, Health Care for Homeless Veterans program manager at the Biloxi VA, said he believes there could be that many on the Mississippi Coast alone.

Advocates often question the numbers presented for the homeless-veteran population, which they said are hard to get a handle on. Besides avoiding many forms of public assistance, many stay away from shelters because those shelters often don't allow pets or alcohol. Others live in camps out of sight from the roads and try to avoid detection. Those who served in the military may also be good at going undetected because of their training, Hart said.

There's also a problem of people passing themselves off as veterans when they never served, veterans' groups say.

Not enough aid

When local homeless veterans do seek help, they still may not find as much available to them as advocates say is needed. Squyres said some pre-Katrina soup kitchens, charities and other groups haven't returned.

"In terms of resources, it is not a good situation in the Biloxi-Gulfport area because of the lack of community facilities and whatnot in the post-Katrina era," Squyres said. "We lost our domiciliary and we are really down to just a few emergency shelters for folks. I would also say that because of the storm, that sort of set us back a bit in terms of what to do with the homeless population but things are really on the upswing now."

There is a new emphasis among the VA's national leaders on helping homeless veterans and more money is becoming available. Squyres, who took his current position in January, said several new local initiatives in the works may help with the problem.

Health Care for Homeless Veterans promotes better access to health care, as many vets have mental-health, substance-abuse and physical ailments, but aren't always using available services. Squyres said the Biloxi VA is about to hire a case worker who will go out and seek homeless veterans to make sure they know for which services they are eligible. Similar employees are already working in Mobile and Pensacola and have been effective, he said.

"They're very hands-on, down-to-earth social workers who get out in the community," Squyres said. "They are not sitting in their offices."

The Biloxi VA is also working on a housing program that would help eligible veterans navigate the public-housing system and it may get them bumped up waiting lists. They would also work with a social worker to make sure they stay in the homes and get help to succeed.

"A lot of these guys have lost a lot of social skills after being on the street for some time," Squyres said. "When you are down and out and have lost family and lost jobs, and you've lost sobriety, that's a lot of stuff to overcome. That social worker is there, not just to get the person in the house and never see them again, but to get them in that house but continue to maintain services to keep that guy in the house."

There are also VA grants for nonprofits to build or refurbish transitional housing for veterans and Squyres said the VA wants some here. Charitable groups help the VA care for homeless veterans. Often the American Legion and other veterans groups refer homeless veterans to the VA to see what sort of programs are available to them. Those groups also raise money and collect goods to donate to the VA for the homeless.

Hope

While the solutions are being worked on here, Johnson continues to survive on his own resourcefulness. Thanks to bus passes from charities, he uses public transportation to get to the VA for his dialysis treatments. His high blood pressure and other health problems persist, but he said there's some hope he will soon have a home. Johnson said he and a friend may be able to rent a house soon, as the landlord wants a minimal security deposit and an unusually low rent for post-Katrina times, which they could split. With winter approaching, the timing is advantageous.

"At least I could get proper rest, and be out of the water, and I could eat what I am supposed to," Johnson said. "I could take a proper bath, brush my teeth three times a day, things I can't do now."

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