As Canada prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan next year, veterans' advocates say they worry shell-shocked soldiers may end up without a home, like many of those who served before them.
Veterans accustomed to the rigid structure and unique culture of the military often find it difficult to adapt to civilian life -- a struggle that can lead them to the streets or the bush, experts say.
"Sometimes when people come back and they've experienced very traumatic experiences, if they don't have a good support network in place or they don't have advanced coping skills, they may end up falling through the cracks," Adrienne Alford-Burt, director of the Veterans Affairs Vancouver office, told Â鶹´«Ã½.
It is unclear how many of the country's nearly 80,000 veterans are currently homeless.
In one Vancouver neighbourhood alone – the downtown eastside, Canada's poorest postal code – Veterans Affairs found 33 homeless veterans, as part of an outreach project launched last summer. All of them are men, mostly in their mid-30s.
That number has alarmed government officials. "I was thinking around 10 or 15, so the fact that we've seen 33 in such a small community is concerning," Alford-Burt said.
Canada's Veterans Ombudsman, retired Col. Pat Strogan, warns many more will end up on the streets once the Afghan mission wraps up.
"It's important that we get this safety net established to prevent them from becoming embedded in the homeless lifestyle," said Strogan, the first to hold the ombudsman position established in 2007.
A handful of projects have cropped up recently to help ex-soldiers find their feet once they return to Canada.
Among them is Cockrell House, a facility just outside Victoria, B.C., believed to be the nation's first homeless shelter for veterans.
The privately funded shelter opened in April. It presently houses six veterans, including some who served as far back as the Second World War. Organizers plan to welcome 11 residents by the end of the year.
Luke Carmichael lived in the bush until he heard about Cockrell House during a visit to a Legion.
The Halifax native says serving 19 years in the Armed Forces, including a stint in Cyprus, left him broken. He arrived in Victoria a decade ago with no money and no place to stay.
Carmichael says he found much-needed support at the shelter. "Here I am, 69 years of age, and I'm starting to come to life again," he said.
In New Westminster, B.C., crews broke ground late April for Honour House, a transition home that will offer respite for soldiers and first-responders such as police and firefighters as they seek medical or psychological treatment.
The home has been described as a Ronald McDonald House for soldiers and first-responders, who will receive free lodgings while they or a member of their families are in treatment. Patients' relatives will also be welcome.
Honour House will also run the 14-day Veterans Transition Program, meant to ease soldiers into civilian life. The program is funded by the Royal Canadian Legion with help from the University of British Columbia.
Ottawa needs to do more: Ombudsman
While applauding initiatives such as Cockrell House, Strogan says it's time Ottawa ramped up its support for veterans.
The veterans ombudsman has previously urged Canadians to help government identify ex-service personnel who haven't sought assistance or can't find the services they need.
In 2008, he launched Leave Nobody Behind, a national campaign to raise awareness of veterans' plight.
"We don't leave our wounded on the battlefield, so injured veterans should not be left to care for themselves," Strogan said at the time. "I will leave nobody behind."
With files from Â鶹´«Ã½'s Rob Brown and The Canadian Press
