Homelessness

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough established new goals in VA’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans.

As part of its continued work towards ending Veteran homelessness, the Department of Veterans Affairs is participating in the 2022 Point-in-Time Count led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this winter to estimate the number of Veterans living in America without safe, stable housing.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs disbursed $20 million in American Rescue Plan funds, Dec. 21, 2021, to VA Medical Centers to provide critical and life-saving emergency assistance to Veterans experiencing homelessness or those enrolled in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program during the coronavirus pandemic.

Every person should have a home. Every Veteran should have a home. Veterans served this nation, made the enormous sacrifices they have made, gave what President Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion” so that no one would be homeless.

If we’re talking about Veterans’ legal challenges, by definition we’re talking about their health care, about their well-being. Because Veteran well-being is about more than health care. It’s about more than benefits. And as good as VA clinicians are—in fact, they are the best in the world, we’re seeing that every day—they can’t fix Veterans’ legal challenges. Only access to good legal assistance can do that.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress found that on a single night in January 2020, there were 37,252 Veterans experiencing homelessness in America, an increase of 0.4% over 2019.

Research findings from a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study reveal that issues related to financial strain are significant risk factors for becoming homeless and highlight the need to focus on financial well-being to help prevent homelessness among Veterans.

For VA and Veterans, we’ll continue to depend on some proven models: HUD-VASH, that prioritizes chronically homeless; Veteran Justice Programs and Treatment Courts; Supportive Services for Veteran Families; Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem; Community Resource and Referral Centers; robust data analytics and research assessing the effectiveness of our programs.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today their partnership with Veterans Matter has helped more than 4,000 Veterans exit homelessness and move into permanent housing since 2012.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it will award more than 425 grants to community organizations totaling approximately $279 million under the Grant Per Diem (GPD) program.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it will begin awarding more than $400 million in grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program (SSVF) to 266 non-profit organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Oct. 1 of this year.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it is collecting laptop and mobile phone donations through an established partner non-profit organization, America’s Adopt A Soldier, to help Veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness stay connected to their health care providers, case managers and loved ones.