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Since the start of the opioid crisis, veterans have been one of the most affected groups. According to the Nation Institute of Health (NIH), from 2010-2019, the opioid drug overdose mortality rate among veterans increased by 53% and they are twice as likely to die from an opioid overdose compared to the average population.
This is due to a plethora of different reasons, including conditions that are common to veterans.
According to an article in the British Journal of Pain, veterans report higher rates of chronic pain compared to other groups. Because of this, in the early decades of the opioid crisis, pharmaceutical companies saw veterans as a viable group to distribute their medications to. As a result, today, veterans are affected at a higher rate than the general population.
Other factors playing into this issue is their higher reports of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mental health conditions caused by their time serving in the armed forces.
One of the largest issues that veterans face in relation to the opioid crisis is homelessness.
Making up high portions of the unhoused population, veterans are more at risk for falling victim to the opioid crisis.
On a related note, veterans are over-represented within the unhoused population in the U.S. They make up 13% of the adult homeless population while only making up around 7% of the US population.
Factors such as trouble in the job market, PTSD, and lack of community support increase their risk of becoming homeless.
Similarly, there is a strong correlation between unhoused individuals and opioid misuse and addiction. More often than not, resources available to the rest of the public are not made available to veterans due to stigmatization, lack of funding, and other issues.
Lacking access to integrated care and medication-assisted treatment, homeless individuals are at much higher risk of dying from an overdose.
Alameda County saw its unhoused population increase for the first time in years in 2022, when the population of unhoused individuals went from 9,450 people to 9,747. Although Alameda certainly does not process the largest homelessness issue in the state, there is still much that needs to be addressed such as increasing affordable housing.
How Alameda County is addressing these issues
Alameda County created the County Veterans Service Office (VSO) in 1944 in order to help veterans and their families to access federal and local benefits after their time fighting for this country. Currently the VSO website lists offerings such as the CalVet College Fee Waiver program and allows for direct counseling regarding future steps.
Similarly, their website includes information regarding what help they can receive from the government mandated GI Bill. Some of these factors include college tuition and career counseling. Both of these services also have implications regarding the high impact the opioid crisis has on the veteran community. Studies show there is a strong correlation between opioid deaths and education. For example, deaths caused by opioid overdose increased from 12 to 82 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2021. These studies show why it is more and more important to prioritize education and initiatives such as the GI Bill within our community and over the country.
Moreover, the VSO helps veterans with housing. As acknowledged earlier, Veterans suffer from lack of housing quite a lot and the VSO has taken steps to address this. Alameda County offers both information and counseling on how veterans can access federal Veterans’ Administration (VA)-backed veterans home loans.
Along with this the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, a collaboration between HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance and the VA program, aims to aid veterans and their families in finding permanent housing.
Just last year, Alameda County services helped veterans get $7.4 million in benefits.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
