Help veterans find homes

Because no one who served in the nation’s military should end up living on the streets, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer was right to join the worthy national effort to eliminate homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015.

During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Brewer credited the city’s Housing and Community Services Department for having helped veterans find homes and jobs. But the city and other community partners can do more to focus resources and give homeless veterans special attention.

Other cities in Kansas should answer Brewer’s call to make similar commitments, as part of the nationwide Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness led by first lady Michelle Obama and involving the Department of Veterans Affairs and mayors across the country. A 2013 national count estimated that 58,000 veterans were homeless, including 56 in Sedgwick County.

Given how they have sacrificed for and served their country, Brewer said, “certainly we can make them a priority. We are encouraging, as mayors across the country, individuals, businesses, to be able to hire them but, secondly, let’s do what we can to try to get those individuals into homes whenever possible and help them in any way that we possibly can.”

Wichitans should aid Brewer’s effort, which will need to extend beyond his last day in office next April.

For the editorial board, Rhonda Holman

This story was originally published September 18, 2014 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Help veterans find homes."