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Although veterans make up 12.5% of the general population, they comprise 25% of the homeless. On the heels of my Memorial Day promise, I thought I’d take a minute to see if we had any homeless veterans in Shiawassee County.
According to Bob Buschman, Director of Shiawassee Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 6800 veterans in Shiawassee County. Buschman is not aware of any Shiawassee veterans struggling with homelessness.
If someone does come to the Shiawassee VA office with a housing problem, Buschman makes sure to get them the help they need. “If I hear of someone, I refer them to the VA in Detroit, and make sure they get set up there.” Buschman explained. “They handle all of the housing.”
Buschman is responsible for Shiawassee’s part-time VA office, which connects our veterans to benefits such as health care, education, housing, rehab, etc. If you are a veteran who needs assistance, you can call the office at 989-743-2231 for more information.
Nothing is too good for our vets …
… and that’s just what Shiawassee gives them …
Commissioner Jack Johnson is chair of the Health and Human Services board, which oversees the Shiawassee VA. “Our VA is terribly under-funded. Buschman and the organization deserve more money.”
Shiawassee provides only about $31,000 annually to operate the VA office, and provides $400 towards each burial service. A quick look at our budget (expense detail, items 681 & 682) confirms the status of our vets — our animals get more than they do. The Director of the VA isn’t even an employee of the county; he’s paid about $6,700 per year, via 1099. What other department Director in this county makes so little money, and is so insignificant that we can’t even pay his Social Security?
Johnson would like to put the funding issue before the voters — “I’d like to see Shiawassee pass a 1/10 mil to support our veterans and veterans’ families, during this time of war. The county could lower it’s current millage by at least that much to cover it. The current millage is already at the maximum allowable by law. I think the voters will support it. I just have to get it on the ballot.”
h/t to DJ, for “nothing is too good …”
Note: I incorrectly spelled Bob Buschman’s name as Bushman. It has been corrected. Sorry about that.
Thanks, babe;).
The number of homeless vets is inexcuseable. You would think that VA affairs would be the one place where partisanship shouldn’t apply, and ssdly it is. Just not the way it should be. Both parties have failed us in terms of housing, medical assistance, and education. I don’t know why Congress isn’t determined to do more to support our troops.
I hope the millage passes, and it is good to see local politicians taking a stand on this issue.
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1/10th of a mil?! Buddy can you spare a dime?
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Very very sad that our Veterans appear to be so neglected. Shame on whoever is in charge of that.
But………I do have to say………in regards to the remark “our animals get more than they do”.
Michigan State Law (The Dog Law of 1919) and our own Shiawassee County Animal Control Ordinance provides that dog license fees may be set at a rate sufficient to cover the cost of administering the dog law, as it pertains to dogs.
The 2007 adopted budget projects Animal control income of $158,000 (99% from dog license fees) with expenses projected at $153,811 for the entire Animal Control Operation. That includes ALL animal related law enforcement.
In the meantime, the animal control ‘shelter’ takes in almost exactly the same number of cats as they do dogs.
That means the dog license fees are covering the entire cost of the animal control operation, plus some left over. That is even illegal by our own county ordinance.
Maybe the county could donate the excess to the veterans?
Nobody kicked when they doubled and tripled the dog license fees a couple years ago.
Maybe they should double and triple, again. They could support a lot of things with dog license fees.
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If only they could figure out how to make the VA a profit center for the county.
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VA – a Profit Center for the county?
Now there’s an idea and I bet they could do it.
Who woulda thunk they could make dog licenses a profit center, or the Register of Deeds and even the county clerk’s office. But they did.
Sure..they could make the VA turn a profit.
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