Over the last few weeks, we've explored some of the barriers veterans face when trying to access housing and support. We've talked about documentation, complex systems, instability, and trauma. Last week, we paused to reflect on Juneteenth. This week, I want to return to a topic that intersects with both veteran homelessness and homelessness more broadly: trauma.

In the homelessness services world, the phrase "service resistant" gets used frequently. It's typically used to describe someone who declines help, misses appointments, avoids case managers, or disengages from services. Sometimes the label fits. But after fifteen years of outreach, I've become increasingly skeptical of how often it's used. Because what we often interpret as unwillingness may actually be inability.