WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new study by The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (www.thecommunityfoundation.org) of returning troops from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that community-based nonprofit organizations in the Greater Washington region do not have adequate resources to address the critical needs of these troops and their families. The goal of the study was to assess the ability of community-based nonprofit organizations in Greater Washington to provide critical services to troops and families facing financial, medical and related crises. The study concludes that raising awareness of this gap in resources has the potential to leverage philanthropic dollars to better support troops and their families.
"As we pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our military men and women this Veterans Day, this important new study provides a sobering assessment of our region's capacity to respond to the immediate and ongoing needs of our soldiers and their families," says Community Foundation President Terri Lee Freeman. "The prospect of service-members losing their homes to foreclosure or unable to put food on the table is not just heartbreaking - it's unacceptable and in a weakened economy, it's only going to get worse," she said.
With the incoming Obama administration's plans for troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan, Freeman noted that a potentially major influx of more troops and military families in need will be coming to the Washington region.
According to the study, nearly 37,000 soldiers from the Washington, DC region have been deployed to the battle lines in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. In addition, at any given time 700 wounded soldiers and 1,000 family members temporarily reside in the Greater Washington area as they receive specialized medical care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. While 90% of troops wounded in these wars survive, their injuries are particularly devastating due to the extreme nature of 21st-century combat. For example, the study shows that twice as many wounded soldiers require amputations than in previous wars, and conditions such as traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression require long-term care.
While a number of national nonprofits provide emergency financial support, temporary housing, suicide prevention, career counseling, job placement and other services, the Washington, DC area's nonprofit sector and troops and military families in need largely have not connected with each other, the study shows. This may be attributed to several factors, chief among them a lack of awareness of each other and few established relationships between local nonprofits and the military. "As our study shows, philanthropy can and should play a major role in supporting our region's nonprofit service-providers. The largest role that philanthropy can play is to serve as a 'sector connector' to make sure that nonprofits are asking the most-informed questions about military service and helping returning troops and their families understand that there are other nonprofits in the community that can help them with particular needs. After all, shattered bodies do not have to mean shattered lives," said Freeman.
The study can be downloaded from The Community Foundation website, www.thecommunityfoundation.org.
Founded in 1973, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region is the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC area. The Foundation has three affiliates - Alexandria Community Trust, The Montgomery County Community Foundation, and The Prince George's Community Foundation. In FY2008, The Foundation and its donors awarded some $91 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC region and beyond.
The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3032