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Honoring women veterans during Women’s History Month, recognizing the distinct challenges they face in health care, housing, safety, and reintegration, and commending the National Alliance of Women Veterans, Inc. for its advocacy on behalf of women veterans.
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WHEREAS, Women’s History Month is a time to recognize the leadership, sacrifice, and civic contribution of women whose service has shaped this nation, including the women veterans of the United States Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, women veterans often experience needs and barriers that differ in important ways from those of the broader veteran population, including the need for gender-specific and reproductive health care, trauma-informed mental health services, safe and welcoming care environments, better access to benefits information, flexible hours of care, and support responsive to caregiving responsibilities and child care needs; and
WHEREAS, the burden of military sexual trauma remains especially severe for women veterans, as about 1 in 3 women veterans disclose to a VA provider that they experienced such abuse, a reality that can continue to affect mental and physical health for many years after service; and
WHEREAS, women veterans also face distinctive risks connected to housing instability and homelessness, with the VA reporting that female veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population, and 3,329 female veterans were identified as homeless in 2024. Trauma, military sexual assault, intimate partner violence, poverty, single parenthood, medical problems, PTSD, and unemployment all contribute to housing instability among women veterans; and
WHEREAS, the Government Accountability Office has found that women veterans in the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program were often caring for children, with about 40 percent having children with them, and that the program’s service mix reflects how housing insecurity for women veterans is frequently inseparable from child care, family stability, income support, and access to respectful service providers.
WHEREAS, the National Alliance of Women Veterans, Inc., a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1993 is dedicated to improving the lives of women veterans through advocacy, support services, and educational initiatives, and specifically identifies its mission as increasing awareness of women veterans’ issues while promoting healing, empowerment, and education, including advocacy for women veterans affected by military sexual offenses.
WHEREAS, given the City’s deep military and veterans tradition, this Council finds it appropriate during Women’s History Month to acknowledge both the service of women veterans and the organizations working to ensure that their distinct experiences are not ignored, minimized, or folded into veteran policy that was not designed with them in mind; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors women veterans during Women’s History Month; recognizes their distinct needs and concerns, including barriers related to trauma-informed care, military sexual trauma, housing instability, child care, safety, privacy, and equitable access to benefits and services; and commends the National Alliance of Women Veterans, Inc. for its longstanding work to advocate for, educate, support, and empower women veterans in Philadelphia and beyond.
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