Every Veteran deserves a safe, stable place to call home, and that’s why VA is committed to ending Veteran homelessness. In March 2023, VA announced its goal to place at least 38,000 Veterans experiencing homelessness into permanent housing and to ensure that at least 95% of the Veterans housed that year did not return to homelessness during that same year.
I am proud to say that for the second year in a row, VA exceeded its goal.
Video discussing Army Veteran Roderick Johnson who was experiencing homelessness. VA housed him in the LA-area in 2023. Delivering more for homeless Veterans
VA is helping people like Roderick Johnson, an Army Veteran who was housed in August 2023. “It was like a blessing that came to me,” Johnson said.
VA found Johnson an apartment to call home and continues to help him along the way. “It went from, ‘Where am I going to stay?’ and ‘Who am I going to stay with?’ to ‘I am well established now,’” Johnson said.
By the end of 2023, 46,552 homeless Veterans were permanently housed by VA and its community partners, representing 122.5% of the goal, a tremendous accomplishment and a step toward ending Veteran homelessness.
Additionally, of the 46,552 homeless Veterans housed, 95.9% remained in housing by the end of the year. Of the 1,919 Veterans who returned to homelessness, 96.4% were either rehoused or were back on a pathway to rehousing by the end of the year.
Lastly, VA engaged with 40,203 total unsheltered Veterans, connecting them to VA care—including housing and health services. View the full report here.
The right tools in the toolkit
VA supports Veterans through an array of services that support the full range of housing needs and barriers that they may face, including:
- Outreach, engagement, assessment and referral services—such as Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) and the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans—serve as front doors to both VA homeless programs and VA health care.
- Residential services—such as the HCHV Contracted Residential Services or Grant and Per Diem programs—provide temporary placement in the form of emergency or transitional housing for Veterans who need a place to stay right now.
- Permanent housing services—such as Supportive Services for Veteran Families and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA (HUD-VA) Supportive Housing, or HUD-VASH—connect Veterans to affordable housing in their communities through short or long-term rental subsidies, case management, and varying levels of wrap-around services to ensure that Veterans have all the necessary resources to stay housed.
- VA also has programs to assist Veterans in the criminal justice system access VA services, help them gain meaningful employment, or take care of their health needs through primary care tailored to the unique access barriers that come with homelessness.
Continuing the fight
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of VA and President Biden, who has made supporting Veterans a key pillar of his Unity Agenda for the nation. Since 2010, Veteran homelessness has been reduced by more than 52%. Further, 83 communities and three states have achieved an effective end to Veteran homelessness.
But despite this progress, one homeless Veteran will always be one too many.
The fight to end homelessness among Veterans is not over, and I will continue to fight to put America’s Veterans into safe and stable housing. I hope you will join me as VA leads the way to end Veteran homelessness. Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
Learn about VA Programs
If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about Veteran homelessness.
For more stories like these, subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
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I have experienced first hand racial discrimination. I’m a veteran my last name is Nuñez my skin color is white. I lost my home during COVID. I came to Houston Texas to get help me and my wife were literally on the streets for two months. No one would help they lied every person I spoke to were black and did nothing but lie to me and my wife it was horrible. It was the most discouraging and helplessness time of my life.
Everyone is a Hero, when they explain the confusion of Millitary Life. Some “Heroes”, suck all the Atmosphere out of a HOSPICE Shelter. Alzheimer’s, Might be a result of Sharing Medication. Or possibly, Pet Owners who refuse to change the litter box. The room fills up with Ammonia ( causing Pneumonia). Hollywood EAST ?⚖️
You guys are straight up liars. The ssvf wont help 100 disabled veterans who are homeless because apparently we make to much. Even though i cant save money living in my truck that is currently broke down and the homeless help line refered me to the american legion who didn’t answer the vfw who wouldn’t call me back and the ssvf who took 12 days to show up 7 days to not fill out my paperwork properly and another to tell me im not eligible for help. Been homelss since april ajd cant save enough for a deposit and have horrible credit thanks to the rapid inflation
I am a veteran i appreciate what the va did for me they got me housing
Un fortunately they the va push me the vet out of hud/vash system when they see the vet is paying their monthly rent.bi have ptsd and other issues as i was saying the hud /vash social worker said to me after eighteen months well you graduated from hud vàsh now you will be placed
on section eight. Hell what about my monthly help that i need. The va says they find u work the counselor i had was so screwed up mentally je should have never been in that position he had ptsd worse than me. He not once tried to get me my old job back at the va. I was a health unit coordinator in the phoenix, va. from ninety one thru ninety three. I lost the job because i got addicted to drugs. But twenty dix yrs. Later i finally got clean by the grace of GOD.
I am so thankful you do so much for the veterans words can not say, so grateful.
How can I get assistance for back rent owed? I reached out to operation homefront. They made me go through this whole ordeal just to decline any type of assistance. I’m 3 months behind on my rent and facing eviction.
Really then why is it when I call these agencies am I still being told no????
Few years ago I reached out to the program even had a case worker. Without warning she left the position as most VA representatives. I needed guidance on moving to Louisiana due to my father mental illness Huntington. The new representative refused help referring for not knowing me and former case worker not having a file. Who knows. I just received a short reply of no.
I have been uncomfortably homeless living with a controlling verbal abuse ambushing domestic partner since 2014 just to be housed. I put everything into going to Louisiana but still had to be in NC for appointments.
My behavior therapist recorded trips to new orlean monthly. I expressed fear of driving anxiety cancellations and she just gave me calming practices as if that works immediately.
The term “veteran” is used way too loosely.