Lab uncovers housing risks facing disabled veterans

A recent Georgia State University study reveals that disabled veterans encounter significantly greater challenges in securing suitable housing compared to both non-disabled veterans and disabled individuals who are not veterans. The research, published in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's journal Cityscape, was spearheaded by sociologists at the university.

Lead researcher Madelief Tilder, a graduate research assistant at the Shepherd Center, a nonprofit hospital treating various complex conditions, discovered that disabled veterans were more prone to living in homes with serious issues such as overcrowding, lack of functional plumbing, absence of kitchens, and housing expenses consuming over 30% of their income.

The findings prompted Tilder to present her results to the Georgia State Interdisciplinary Community Research on Disability Lab (iCORD Lab), where a team of researchers sought to understand the underlying reasons for this disparity. The team investigated the availability of resources for veterans in each state, including medical facilities and military bases, but encountered inconsistencies in the data and had to create their own database by manually compiling information from various sources.

Although homeownership typically safeguards individuals from poor housing conditions, it failed to protect disabled veterans in this regard. Surprisingly, states with a higher number of veterans' centers per capita experienced worse housing outcomes. The researchers emphasize the need to study disabled veterans as a distinct group, rather than grouping them with other disabled individuals or veterans, to effectively address their unique housing challenges and inform appropriate policy measures.