Island County will join with all Washington counties in the creation of regional coalitions to address a rising population of veterans in crisis.

The number of veterans in crisis will continue to rise, according to Island County Veteran Services Coordinator Gerald Pfannenstiel.

Roughly 26 percent of post-9/11 veterans have a service-connected disability compared to only 14 percent of the total veteran population, Pfannenstiel said.

Veterans ages 18 to 30 are more than twice as likely to be homeless compared with non-veterans of the same age. In addition, the number of homeless women veterans has increased 141 percent between 2006 and 2010.

“As a result of the myriad of challenges already here and/or on the immediate horizon, we must be compelled to meet these challenges with as much firepower as we possibly can; we owe them that much,” Pfannenstiel told commissioners last week.

The local coalition will be comprised of Island, San Juan, Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish and King counties.

Island County has the largest veteran population per capita in the state.