If you’ve ever walked down the street and seen a person curled up on a pile of cardboard or passed a row of makeshift tents, you may have thought, “How does this happen? What life did this person live before I saw them on the street? I want to help, but I don’t know how.”
If you want to help a Veteran living on the street or in an encampment, here are some safe, useful ways to support them.
1. Leave judgments and misconceptions aside
People can become homeless in many ways, including job loss, illness of themselves or a family member, lack of affordable housing, loss of a home, health issues and substance use.
Showing kindness and instilling hope can go a long way. Smile, say hello and ask their name. You are speaking with a member of your community. Showing them the respect of treating them as you would treat any other person having a bad day. If you are able and comfortable, give them a bottle of water, a prepackaged snack or food for their pet.
If you live in an area where you encounter many unhoused people, traveling with an extra bag stocked with supplies helps you be prepared to assist more community members at any given moment.
2. Offer to help them call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
If you believe the person you encounter is a Veteran and could benefit from VA services, ask if they have served in the military. Some unhoused people do not identify as a Veteran. The fastest way to get them connected to VA is to call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. The call is free, confidential and staffed 24/7 with trained counselors who will connect them to their nearest VA medical center for help and resources.
In some cases, the VA team may already have a relationship with the Veteran and started gaining their trust, which is an important step. Many Veterans aren’t willing to get care after a first encounter, but after building a rapport with a social worker or case manager they decide to come to VA for help.
It’s important not to rush Veterans into accessing services they aren’t comfortable with. Veterans experiencing homelessness are going through many struggles at any given time, whether they are health issues, hunger, thirst, exhaustion or something else. Keep in mind that many have also experienced trauma that brought them to where they are now. Not knowing where their next meal will come from, where they’ll sleep or if they’ll be safe can make anyone distrustful of institutional services.
It’s also a good idea to share the general location of homeless encampments with VA medical centers so that teams will know where to go to provide outreach and services, especially in winter and during other extreme weather events.
3. Offer a connection to resources
A simple way to share resources with Veterans is to carry printouts or water bottles with the numbers of the Veterans Crisis Line and National Call Center for Homeless Veterans written on them so Veterans know where they can go for help when they are ready.
If a Veteran isn’t comfortable using VA services, there are community agencies VA can connect them with. Community providers often offer things VA cannot, such as support geared toward families. Libraries are also great hubs for homeless Veterans to find resources to help them through the day, including bathrooms, air conditioning, computers, entertainment and more.
4. Volunteer
If you are interested in doing more for homeless Veterans, consider volunteering at a local stand down event. Stand downs are typically one- to three-day events during which VA staff and volunteers provide food, clothing and health screenings to homeless and at-risk Veterans. Veterans receive referrals for health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment, mental health counseling and other essential services.
You can also reach out to your local VA for information on volunteering.
5. Learn more about VA programs
Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
Download and print outreach flyers, brochures, wallet cards, and more.
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It is refreshing to see a proactive approach attempting to address a societal problem. The steps and understanding conveyed through this information and instructional article offer an excellent opportunity for all of us to get to work assisting with this issue. In my many years of navigating the personal struggles that come from such traumatic experiences I can personaly attest to the very real effects of suspicion, depression, anxiety and distrust that come from being “cast aside” from mainstream society. And whether we are Veteran’s, Civilians or both one thing I have certainly come to realize is that the factors and circumstances which contribute to homelessness are something that every public and provate sector of society contribute to and are affected by, however very few step up to help. It’s nice to see the Veteran’s Administration working to resolve a problem, rather than simply complain about it – if it weren’t for the VA, I most likely would still be out on the benches!
Thank goodness you are here to help our veterans! I am a veteran and very proud I served our country. I was a Vietnam era veteran. Thank goodness for my health care for PTSD. They saved me and are trying very hard to control my blood pressure,my stress, my anxiety and panic attacks. They watch for any problems with my heart and UTI’S.
I myself have been helped extensively by the southern Arizona VA team . Substance abuse treatment was and is a very important part of my daily life . I was looking at possible homeless scenarios which they helped me to avoid through HUD Vash. They were by my side but let me do the work with their guidance .It’s been three years but I’m sober and renewing a relationship with my family . I may have been able to do these things by myself eventually, if I lived long enough . The VA and employees there are my heroes .
This is exceptionally helpful information on how help a homeless (veteran), or otherwise. The sight of so many homeless & the inadequate ability to help is destabilizing. Not knowing how to help is deflating. This information helps in confidence to give help that is constructive & supportive. I am encouraged & motivated to study and learn these resources so I can approach homeless and feel better prepared to help someone “get out of the ditch “.
This is exceptionally helpful information on how help a homeless (veteran), or otherwise. The sight of so many homeless & the inadequate ability to help is destabilizing. Not knowing how to help is deflating. This information helps in confidence to give help that is constructive & supportive. I am encouraged & motivated to study and learn these resources so I can approach homeless and feel better prepared to help someone “get out of the ditch “.
I’m a homeless veteran with a young family and I’m trying to find housing in San Francisco. I do have InSight Housing but unfortunately the 60days for them to pay for the motel will be up tomorrow so we (husband and I) are trying to figure out what our next step is. The program moves too slow and expects you to do the majority of the work. I do like my workers unfortunately things are just too slow and getting housing is very difficult here. We are transitioning as my husband was commuting but things aren’t going like we planned. Also, Swords to Plowshare just dumped me (what it feels like) in InSight’s lap and is letting them handle it. So not quite sure who I can talk to about that but I didn’t like the way my situation was handled even after expressing concerns about my family’s situation and the way certain things are. So now we are scrambling and praying that something comes through.
I just read this article. Not sure if you saw this when you added a comment. Hope this helps:
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Over the years I’ve contacted the Utah Homeless Veterans Program only to be told that with my 100% VA Disability and my SS checks I earn too much to qualify for help. I am also well over the state limit to qualify for Section 8 Housing. The good news is I’ve paid over half of my BA mortgage loan in less than six years. My house has been repeatedly burglarized and vandalized, I replaced the roof and it’s already leaked clear through to the floor no less than five times.
Thank you for this article, working in the District of Columbia I encounter quite a few homeless individuals, but one in general stands out because I see him every weekday as I’m going to LaFant Plaza VRE station platform. I’m going to ask him today, provided I see him, if he is a vet. Thank you for giving me the courage to ask.
I’m a homeless veteran who’s homeless because of Long Covid. I’ve tried to use the VA for help, but everyone wants me to forsaken my pet dog. She’s the only entity in this world that has been there for me. I’ve applied for SSDI 40 months ago and they’re telling me that they’re 2 years backlogged. I don’t have income, only SNAP benefits to get by with. I live within 2 miles from Bryan Dorn VA hospital and I’m trying to get my PCP to help me get my SSDI by writing a letter of advocacy for me. This part of my life has been the most difficult in my life and being sick with Long Covid with diabetes is tormenting me. My Long Covid is so severe that my cardiologist says I’ll develop heart failure in five years. I’m 62 and I can’t work because of my health issues that continue to mount upon me. Long Covid has become the silent pandemic and no one knows anything about Long Covid and are possibly living with it not knowing what they’re experiencing. I’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, COPD with asthma, unstable angina, two different arrythmias, a rare supraventricular tachycardia, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral edema, diabetes, aortitis that’s causing my ascending thoracic aorta aneurysm to be symptomatic, and severe depression. Before Covid 19 I had high cholesterol and that was all I had. Now everyone expects me to learn how to live and work with all those ailments like a slave. I’d rather crawl under a rock and die! I’ve had people in the VA hospital question my abilities to work because they don’t understand what I’m going through. I look healthy but I’m far from that. I’ve been going to the Bryan Dorn VA hospital for over 30 years and it just seems to be getting worse and I have to say it’s the people who are the cause.
I definitely have a comment. At one time I had many rental properties and after I retired I decided to sell them. I was down to the last one, a 2 bedroom home previously owned by my father. I tried to DONATE this home to the VA. All they had to do was get the paperwork done and the home was theirs. When I contacted the VA and told them what i wanted to do, the answer was NO. This home was near I75 in Flint Mi. and only a couple blocks from a Kroger grocery store. So your information on helping homeless vets is great, but not realistic when someone (me) tries to donate a 2 bedroom home free of charge. No underlying expenses just the normal home expenses plus yearly property tax.
Best way to help a veteran is to have The Veterans Administration “FINANCIAL” section like the one in Janesville, Wisconsin, give the veteran more money in their pension so they don’t become homeless. Stop with this nitpicking about every little health detail so they can reduce the payment that every veteran desperately needs. We were there when you needed us so how come YOU’RE NOT HERE WHEN WE NEED YOU ?!!! Stop the BULLSHIT and give “EVERY” veteran what they deserve.
Wrap around services promised by HUD VASH AND LUMBEE TRIBE OF NC ARE NOT PROVIDED.. I PROVIDE FOR MY HOME AND DISABLED VETERANS SONS HOME.. I AM 100% DISABLED FEMALE SENIOR VETERAN.. PERMANENT AND TOTAL ALL SERVICE CONNECTED.. LIVING IN LUMBEE TRIBE OF NC VETERANS VILLAGE… WARRIORS WAY.. SON PLACED IN HOME IN ROWLAND..
I’m a homeless veteran who has tried getting help in Jacksonville florida. A military city who could care less about those who have served this nation proudly.