“A veteran is someone who, at some point in his life, has written a blank check payable to the United States of America in an amount up to and including his lifetime. Regardless of personal political views, this is an honor, and there are too many people in this country who no longer remember this fact. traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After the Vietnam War, it took nine to twelve years before veterans began arriving in homeless shelters in large numbers. It is unfortunate that ANY veteran in whom we place particular trust will one day find themselves living on the streets at ANY point in their lives. We are now ten years into the war in Afghanistan and eight years into the war in Iraq. Since at least 15% of the million veterans of both wars met screening criteria for PTSD, as a nation we must prepare for an increase in homelessness. (1) Therefore, to demonstrate my gratitude to those veterans who signed that blank check, I would use the newly acquired $150,000 to purchase a distressed property and address homelessness among our military veterans. Veteran homelessness must be addressed at multiple levels to ensure it does not turn into a revolving door. So beyond simply providing temporary housing support, we will also need to improve the lives of our veterans in the long term. This involves treating PTSD by providing them access to health and wellness clinics, recovery resources, peer support groups, and individual counseling. (Note: Key information from HYPERLINK "http://www.voail.org" http://www.voail.org). Once our veterans are able to… middle of the paper… our NFP will be able to leverage the recently acquired $150,000 and turn it into $1,000,000 in capital funds, $144,100 in in-kind donations from partnerships and nearly $710,000 daily to support our annual operations for veterans programs that will help them win the “war at home” and achieve their full potential in all areas of their lives. As a result, achieving this mission proves to provide maximum ROI both financially and personally. Works Cited1. Marks, Alexandra, “Back from Iraq – and suddenly on the streets” The Christian Science Monitor on the Web February 8, 2005 < HYPERLINK "http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0208/p02s01-ussc.html" http:/ /www.csmonitor.com/2005/0208/p02s01-ussc.html>2. US Department of Veterans Affairs. October 5, 2011. Subsidy and per diem program. November 8, 2011. .