Life Without Shelter in the US: Veterans and Homelessness Video Clips

The goal of this Health Humanities Portrait-- Life Without Shelter in the United States: Veterans and Homelessness--is to understand both the specificity and the commonality of being homeless as a veteran. Veterans have access to care through the Veterans Affairs (VA) medical system and are an object of historical reverence within American society. In many ways, however, the causes and experiences of their homelessness do not differ substantially from those of the general homeless population. The assigned transcripts and video clips capture historically significant issues relevant to our broad social theme, including the meanings of homelessness; the indignity of reliance on inadequate or poorly organized social services; the role of addiction and mental health concerns; housing instability and discrimination; work and the labor market; stereotypes and the stigma associated with homelessness; and the social obligation to veterans.