美国国家公共电台 NPR Fewer Homeless Veterans On LA's Streets

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

Last month, Los Angeles County announced that the number of homeless veterans dropped by 18 percent. Those who are seeing this firsthand say that's good news. But LA still has the highest number of homeless veterans in the country - just under 4,000 people. Reporter Gloria Hillard has the story.

GLORIA HILLARD, BYLINE¹: There's a certain vigilance and purpose in Jesse Henderson's stride - understandable when you learn that the 39-year-old Army veteran did two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

JESSE HENDERSON: Our basic job was to look for the IEDs. Sometimes we'll find them. Like, we - that was our saying. Sometimes we'll find them, and sometimes they'll find us.

HILLARD: Today Henderson's mission has gone from searching out IEDs to searching for homeless veterans on the streets of Los Angeles. He's looking for clues - a tent that's off by itself, a military blanket from the VA.

HENDERSON: They'll usually have their stuff more in order.

HILLARD: As an outreach worker for U.S. Vets², his job is to try and connect homeless veterans with support resources, including transitional housing offered by the nonprofit. He wears a camouflage³ backpack filled with bottles of water, hygiene⁴ items, gift cards, a pack of cigarettes.

HENDERSON: Hello. My name is Jesse Henderson. I work for U.S. Vets. I heard that you might be a veteran.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: No, I'm not a veteran.

HENDERSON: Oh, OK. Sorry to bother you, brother.

HILLARD: It's not easy. Some veterans don't want to be found. They've had a bad experience with the military or with re-entry after their service. Henderson says he's been there.

HENDERSON: There was a point where I was - didn't have anything, and then somebody helped me with my needs.

HILLARD: Navigating⁵ streets, alleys⁶ and underpasses three times a week, Henderson hears a lot of stories. And recently, more veterans speak of losing their housing.

HENDERSON: They've been living there four or five years. They get a new owner. The new owner comes in and says, everybody's gone. I'm turning it into an Airbnb.

HILLARD: The lack of affordable⁷ housing is at the forefront of the homeless crisis in LA County. But the city's annual Point-in-Time Count released on June 1 showed that the veteran homeless population had declined significantly. Heidi Marston is with the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

HEIDI MARSTON: This year's PIT count and the decrease really spoke⁸ to the hard work that was being done.

HILLARD: Although the previous year's veteran homeless count turned out to be not as high as initially⁹ reported, it did serve as a call to action for the VA. Again, Heidi Marston.

MARSTON: To kind of streamline¹⁰ our processes to get folks who are under the bridges and on the streets into housing.

HILLARD: The VA also increased funding for a program that provides 90-day emergency housing for veterans like Air Force combat veteran Christopher Underwood. He suffers from PTSD and was facing imminent¹¹ homelessness on the street. He's now staying at a U.S. Vets facility in Inglewood.

CHRISTOPHER UNDERWOOD: And I'm thankful. So without this, it - I would probably be in a situation where - you know, a little more desolate¹².

HILLARD: Steve Peck, president of U.S. Vets, says the VA's outreach and services accomplished¹³ a great deal. But he cautions that veteran homelessness is an ever-changing dynamic.

STEVE PECK: There are more first-time homeless than ever before.

HILLARD: And he's seen an increasing number of post-9/11 veterans seeking help, veterans that may have been missed in the official homeless count.

PECK: They're hopping¹⁴ from bed to bed, you know, relative to relative. They're living in their cars. Some of them don't even consider themselves homeless because they're not sleeping literally¹⁵ on the sidewalk. But they are, and they're suffering.

HILLARD: Across town, on the West LA Veteran Affairs sprawling¹⁶ campus, it's early evening. Under flickering¹⁷ floodlights, 63-year-old Marine¹⁸ veteran Robert Louis and his wife Gail are getting ready to bed down for the night in their car.

ROBERT LOUIS: Really rough - as you can see, it's not a big car. There's (laughter) not a lot of room to sleep in.

HILLARD: The VA recently partnered with the nonprofit Safe Parking LA to provide 10 overnight parking spaces for homeless veterans. There's a wash station and a portable bathroom. They have to leave in the morning.

R. LOUIS: But we make the best of it.

HILLARD: The story of how they got here can be summed up to a few wrong decisions and Gail's diagnosis¹⁹ of cancer.

GAIL LOUIS: It's been extremely depressing. But I'm alive to experience it, so I'm forever grateful.

HILLARD: The parking spaces are beginning to fill up. There are new faces here every night. They look out for each other, they say. By 9:30, the homeless veterans have retired²⁰ for the night, the sounds of the city muffled²¹ in the distance. For NPR News, I'm Gloria Hillard.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

3 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

4 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

5 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

6 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

7 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

10 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

11 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

12 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

13 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

14 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

15 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

16 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

17 flickering   

adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的

参考例句：

• The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
• The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

18 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

19 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

20 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

21 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》