Relationships Between Characterizations of Military Service: Bad Discharge and Veteran Homelessness

Abstract

Given the current global war on terror, there was concern that the influx of servicemen and women returning from the war with less than honorable discharge would increase veteran homelessness in the United States. Using Castro and Kintzle’s military transition theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental correlational design was to determine relationships between military characterizations of service and veteran homelessness. The correlational research design was used to determine the relationship between military discharge and veteran homelessness. Data were acquired from archival data regarding separated American servicemen and women who served in the military from the Defense Manpower Data Center and veteran homelessness data from the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. Data for the years between 2009 and 2018 were used for the analysis. The sample included active duty separation from 2009 to 2018. The initial sample consisted of 1,910,545 service members. Using a simple regression analysis, a significant relationship was found between punitive discharge and veteran homelessness. The results of the study may be sued to increase public awareness of veteran homelessness issues involving the transitional experiences of returning veterans which will educate military officials or policymakers, family, and the public. While understanding the dynamics of military characterization of service, governmental departments can contribute to social change by designing effective programs and comprehensive services that are necessary to help veterans transition successfully.