• Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Grants: Within the coming year, VA will award hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to organizations that help rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families, prevent the imminent loss of a Veteran’s home, or identify new, more suitable housing situations for Veterans and their families. The exact funding amount will be determined by VA’s budget.
• Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness Grants: Within the coming year, VA will award more than $26 million in funds to organizations that help homeless Veterans with legal representation, assistance with court proceedings, defense in criminal cases related to homelessness, and more.

This announcement comes shortly after the Department of Housing and Urban Development  released the results of the 2023 Point-in-Time  Count, the annual effort to estimate the number of Americans — including Veterans — experiencing homelessness. The data shows that on a single night in January 2023, there were 35,574 Veterans who were experiencing homelessness, a 7.4% increase over 2022. This uptick mirrors the increase in homelessness among all Americans, which increased by 12% over 2022.

Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority for VA and the entire Biden-Harris administration. In total, the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has decreased by 52.0% since 2010 and by 4.5% since 2020. 

“One Veteran experiencing homelessness will always be one too many — and we will do everything in our power to ensure that Veterans get the safe, stable housing they deserve,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “These new grants are a critical part of that effort, empowering VA and our partners to provide more housing and wraparound services to more homeless and at-risk Veterans than ever before. Together, we will not rest until Veteran homelessness is a thing of the past.”

“Every American deserves a safe and affordable home. Like air, water, and food, housing is a basic human need required for the health of individuals, communities, and nations,” said U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness director  Jeff Olivet. VA is a critical part of USICH’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness.“The Biden-Harris administration’s plan calls on all parts of the federal government, as well as mayors, landlords, developers, and everyone involved to help us build a future where no one experiences the tragedy of homelessness, and everyone has a safe and affordable home.”

From day one, the VA has taken aggressive action to combat Veteran homelessness. VA has permanently housed 38,847 homeless Veterans thus far in 2023, surpassing the calendar year goal to house 38,000 Veterans two months early. This year, VA has also expanded access to health care for homeless Veterans, expanded access to legal assistance for homeless Veterans, helped more than 145,000 Veterans and their families retain their homes and avoid foreclosure, and awarded more than $1 billion in grant funding to help homeless Veterans. In partnership with HUD, VA also convened 10 national HUD-VA Supportive Housing  bootcamps, in which local VA homeless program staff with public housing agencies from across the country participated in intensive two-day workshops to improve coordination to more quickly rehouse Veterans through the HUD-VASH program. During 2023, the HUD-VASH program helped over 13,000 Veterans exit homelessness and obtain permanent affordable housing with supportive services.

There are many possible reasons for the increase in homelessness among Veterans and all Americans in January 2023, including the cost of housing and the end of COVID-related supports. VA will investigate these barriers and do everything in its power to help Veterans overcome them.

VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then providing them with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more. This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to prevent and end homelessness. President Biden has also called on Congress to triple the number of Veterans who receive housing vouchers — a critical tool to help prevent Veteran homelessness.

For more information on the SSVF grant opportunity, visit here. For more information on the legal services for homeless Veterans grant opportunity, visit here. For more information about VA’s comprehensive efforts to end Veteran homelessness, visit VA.gov/homeless.

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WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has permanently housed 38,847 homeless Veterans through October of 2023 — surpassing the calendar year goal to house 38,000 Veterans two months early.  

Through October, VA has also engaged with 34,498 unsheltered Veterans to connect them with the housing and resources they need, exceeding the Department’s calendar year goal by 123%; ensured that 96.2% of Veterans housed have remained in housing, exceeding the Department’s calendar year goal by 1.2%; and ensured that 93.1% of the Veterans who returned to homelessness have been rehoused or are on a pathway to rehousing, exceeding the Department’s calendar year goal by 3.1%.

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. In 2022 alone, VA housed more than 40,000 formerly homeless Veterans, prevented more than 17,700 Veterans and their families from falling into homelessness, and helped nearly 191,700 additional Veteran families who were experiencing financial difficulties to retain their homes or avoid foreclosure. Thanks in part to these efforts, the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 11% since early 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010. 

“More than 38,000 Veterans now have the safe, stable homes that they deserve — and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “While we met our goals for 2023, we’re not stopping here. We’re going to keep pushing — through the end of this calendar year and beyond — until every Veteran has a safe, stable place to call home in this country they fought to defend.”

VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then providing them with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more. This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to reduce homelessness.

VA has also made progress in combating Veteran homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles area, providing 1,464 homeless Veterans with permanent housing thus far this year — which is the most of any city in America and on pace to exceed VA’s calendar year goal for 2023. Last year, VA provided 1,301 permanent housing placements to formerly homeless Veterans in LA, the most of any city in America.

VA staff and its community partners nationwide help Veterans find permanent housing such as apartments or houses to rent or own, often with subsidies to help make the housing affordable. In some cases, VA staff and partners help Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends.

For more information about VA’s comprehensive efforts to end Veteran homelessness, visit VA.gov/homeless.

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Mobile medical units are vans or trucks that move from one location to another to provide a private space for eligible Veterans to meet with medical providers, including mental health clinicians, social workers, and other staff that provide primary care, women’s health, audiology, laboratory, and telehealth services to those who may not have access to a local VA medical center.

Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority for VA, and President Biden has made supporting Veterans a key pillar of his Unity Agenda for the nation. In 2022 alone, VA housed more than 40,000 formerly homeless Veterans, prevented more than 17,700 Veterans and their families from falling into homelessness, and helped nearly 191,700 additional Veteran families who were experiencing financial difficulties retain their homes or avoid foreclosure. Thanks in part to these efforts, the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 11% since early 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010. In 2023, VA has set a goal to house at least 38,000 Veterans.

“Veterans experiencing homelessness face a variety of barriers to accessing health care, including a lack of transportation,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “With these new mobile medical units, homeless and at-risk Veterans don’t have to visit VA hospitals — we come right to them.”

This announcement builds on sweeping new investments to address Veteran homelessness announced by the White House in June.

VA’s efforts to end Veteran homelessness are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes first getting a Veteran into housing and then providing them with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more.

These MMUs have been made available through VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams, whose mission is to address the unique needs and distinct challenges homeless Veterans face both accessing and engaging in health care. In addition to MMUs, VA already has 83 Mobile Vet Centers around the country to provide confidential counseling and outreach to eligible individuals in communities that are distant or remote from existing services. 

If you are a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness 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

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The funds are available through VA’s new Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program and will help Veterans in several ways, including:         

• Providing representation in landlord-tenant disputes to prevent eviction.
• Assisting with court proceedings for child support, custody or estate planning.
• Helping Veterans obtain disability compensation and other benefits.
• Providing criminal defense services for certain issues that are symptomatic of homelessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines and driver’s license revocation.
• Upgrading characterization of discharges or dismissals of former members of the Armed Forces.

“Veterans who face legal challenges are more likely to become homeless,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Through these grants, VA is providing Veterans with the legal assistance they need to access the housing they deserve.”

This funding will be awarded in grants of up to $150,000 to 75 eligible organizations, with at least 10% of funding being utilized for women Veterans. The Notice of Funding Opportunity provides information about the grant program eligibility and award process. VA will host a technical assistance webinar for grant applicants in October. Monitor VA’s homeless LSV website for webinar information and updates. Applications must be submitted by Dec. 30, 2022.

In this calendar year, VA has already placed more than 26,500 homeless Veterans into permanent housing — putting VA on track to meet its goal of 38,000 permanent housing placements for homeless Veterans in 2022.

Learn more about legal services for Veterans or email lsv@va.gov.

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This includes such costs as child supervision, transportation and additional case management.

This regulation implements section 4204 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D., Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, which updates how VA reimburses GPD grantees by establishing a new rate for each minor dependent cared for by a homeless Veteran. The regulation also implements an increase to the maximum amount that grantees can be reimbursed, up to 115% of the state home for domiciliary care rate, which will support grantees’ ability to provide care to Veterans after the COVID-19 pandemic flexibilities end.

“Our work to end Veteran homelessness depends on our ability to effectively support Veterans and their family members,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “This new regulation will make it easier for Grant and Per Diem grantees to provide the services

Veterans’ families need to achieve independence.”

The GPD program has provided community-based transitional housing with supportive services for Veterans since 1994 as they transition back to permanent housing. By the end of 2022, VA plans to place 38,000 homeless Veterans into permanent housing.

View current GPD grantees and details about the program. The propsed rule is available at the Federal Register.

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Kelly O’Keeffe | Contributed

Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act to address rising homelessness among veterans and connect vulnerable veterans with the care they need. Dr. Ruiz’s legislation would expand access to Veterans Affairs’ (VA) homeless outreach services for all veterans, including those who received other than honorable discharges. The bill would also reauthorize current benefits for homeless veterans and newly installed outreach services for five years.

“In our region and across the country, we have seen an increase in veterans who, after serving our nation, return to find themselves without a home,” said Dr. Ruiz. “My bill, the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act, would help address this crisis and allow our most vulnerable veterans to access vital VA health care services. By connecting veterans with these resources, we are one step closer to addressing the underlying challenges that lead to veteran homelessness and empowering our servicemembers in their transition back to civilian life.”

Tomorrow, the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act will receive a hearing in the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

“Helping homeless veterans get back on their feet begins with addressing their health concerns both physical and mental,” said Bill Young of the Veteran’s Easy Access Program.

“The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) applauds Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. for introducing the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act,” said Kathryn Monet, CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. “The Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program is critical in maintaining the Department of Veterans Affairs’ ability to reach our nation’s homeless veterans and would be extended through 2027. The legislation would also extend eligibility to veterans with ‘Other Than Honorable’ (OTH) discharge statuses, allowing for more seamless integration with the programs it interacts with that have already incorporated OTH veterans. The HCHV program is the front door to homeless services in many communities and bringing eligibility in line with other Homeless Veteran programs is the right thing to do. NCHV looks forward to working with Representative Ruiz, M.D. to make this bill law as we make greater strides toward a world where no veteran is left homeless.”

“The Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act will extend the vital Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program until 2027 and expand eligibility for the program’s services to veterans who received discharges that were other than honorable,” said the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “The Alliance appreciates Representative Ruiz’s leadership on this legislation, which will extend and expand HCHV outreach efforts to reduce homelessness among Veterans by engaging them in supportive and rehabilitative services. The Department of Veterans Affairs homelessness programs, including HCHV, have reduced homelessness among veterans by 50% over the last ten years, and they have earned strong bipartisan support.”

BACKGROUND

Dr. Ruiz’s bill seeks to address homelessness among veterans across the nation, including in California where veteran homelessness is especially pervasive. In fact, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that roughly 37,000 veterans throughout the country are without shelter. According to CalVets, California is the state with the most unsheltered veterans, with approximately 19,000 homeless veterans.

Dr. Ruiz’s district, which includes Riverside County, has also seen a consistent uptick in unsheltered veterans, experiencing a five percent increase from 2019 to 2020.

A recent study from Yale University and the VA Connecticut Health Care System found that veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than others due to elevated risk of PTSD, social isolation, unemployment, and substance abuse.

Under Dr. Ruiz’s legislation, all veterans would be able to access key VA outreach programs that are aimed at addressing homelessness. Currently, veterans with other than honorable discharges are excluded from outreach efforts.

The Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act would also reauthorize funding for the following programs:

• Outreach efforts to veterans living on the street or facing chronic homelessness to connect them with shelter, medical care, and other services through contracted residential beds in their communities.

• Payments to organizations that temporarily house veterans.

• Grants that offer help to veterans on the cusp of homelessness, by assisting with their rent, electricity, or deposits.

• Make available case management, support service benefits, and help with Section 8 housing.

The bill is endorsed by The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

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Through a time-limited congressional authority, VAMCs can use these funds to bring help required for safety and survival and to support stability and health for transportation and communications equipment and services.   

“This unprecedented authority allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet the immediate needs of Veterans who lack stable housing, transportation to medical appointments, food and other essentials – all while helping them to achieve long-term housing and financial stability,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “COVID-19 transmission continues to rise this winter in many communities and these resources will help VA use these flexibilities to protect the health and safety of homeless and at-risk Veterans.”

In 2021 VAMCs across the country helped more than 24,000 Veterans from May through November thanks to the expanded authorization described in section 4201(a) of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315). VAMCs have purchased groceries, meals, apartment start-up kits, furniture, merchandise vouchers and laundry vouchers for Veterans experiencing homelessness. In addition, these funds have allowed for the creation of a nationally coordinated rideshare program which offers support to Veterans who need transportation to meet health, housing, legal and employment needs.

Veterans experiencing homelessness should visit their local VAMC for assistance and to take advantage of the support made possible by this authorization. These life-saving services are available to eligible Veterans who are experiencing homelessness or those participating in the HUD-VASH program.

For immediate assistance contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).

Learn more about this flexible assistance for homeless Veterans.

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This number does not account for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has added to the nation’s housing challenges, including among Veterans. 

AHAR showed investments from Congress along with strong collaboration between the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) brought about a 47% reduction in Veteran homelessness between 2010 and 2016. However, a GAO report found that, since 2016, progress towards ending Veteran homelessness has stalled. We find this pattern deeply concerning. No Veteran who has served this country — let alone more than 37,000 on a given night — should experience homelessness. 

We, the secretaries of VA and HUD, are aligning efforts and joining forces to work towards ending Veteran homelessness. We are mobilizing the strength of our two departments to do everything in our power to ensure every Veteran has access to safe and stable housing. 

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle this crisis. The American Rescue Plan included more than $10 billion in funding for individuals who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The American Jobs Plan would invest $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than two million affordable homes. 

Our collaboration is the first step of a multi-phased whole-of-government effort that will ultimately help us end Veteran homelessness. We will evaluate existing strategies, implement new approaches when necessary, and execute a plan to ensure we achieve tangible results that incorporate best practices, feedback, and lessons learned from Veterans, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders. 

To fulfill this mission, we will: 

• Make ending Veteran homelessness a top priority – VA and HUD will prioritize this effort at the highest levels. Staff in both agencies will collaboratively develop a strategy to significantly reduce the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness, as well as a strategy to ensure that no Veteran experiences homelessness in the future. The secretaries will participate in listening sessions with stakeholder groups, including Veterans with lived expertise. Information and materials gathered will be analyzed for use during quarterly meetings with homeless program staff from both departments to inform decisions about changes to policies and programs. We will develop targets, assess progress, and hold our agencies accountable.

• Lead with an evidence-based Housing First approach – Evidence and past progress on reducing Veteran homelessness demonstrate a Housing First approach works. Together, our agencies will ensure targeted interventions (such as HUD-VA Supportive Housing, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and Grant and Per Diem) help Veterans obtain stable housing as quickly as possible without barriers or preconditions.

• Reach underserved Veterans – Reducing Veteran homelessness will require new approaches to serving Veterans for whom prior efforts may have fallen short. These include Veterans with less than honorable discharge status, as well as Veterans who are women, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, transgender and gender non-conforming, aging, and/or living in rural areas. We will ensure our interagency effort identifies and removes barriers to VA care and services, so benefits are equitably available among underserved Veteran communities. 

• Ensure the delivery of quality supportive services – Supportive services are critical to helping Veterans find and retain housing, and to use it as a platform for achieving health, recovery, and economic success. Working diligently with federal and community stakeholders, we commit to identifying ways to ensure Veterans have access to quality supportive health, mental health, and medical legal services alongside employment and housing assistance, whether provided by VA or community partners.

• Increase the supply of and access to affordable housing – A significant obstacle to ending Veteran homelessness is the lack of affordable housing, especially in many urban centers. We will work jointly, including examining opportunities through the American Rescue Plan and the American Jobs Plan, to increase the supply of affordable housing and ensure Veterans have access. Our agencies will do this by engaging landlords, and affordable housing developers, supporting the use of federal programs to create and subsidize affordable housing, identifying ways to improve Veteran access to these housing units, and supporting state and local collaboration to finance and create affordable housing. 

Working to end Veteran homelessness requires a multi-agency effort, coordinated through the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Together, we can enhance how we deliver services and provide opportunities to Veterans to ensure we bring the full force of the federal government to end Veteran homelessness. 

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA’s Supportive Housing program, known as HUD-VASH, works with Veterans Matter to help Veterans experiencing homelessness and who qualify for rental subsidies to cover the cost of security deposits.

“Collaborations with organizations like Veterans Matter is fundamental to achieving our goal of ending homelessness among Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “We celebrate  the more than 4,000 Veterans that have stable housing as a result of selfless acts of kindness by people who believe every Veteran deserves a place to call home.”

From 2012 to 2016, the partnership helped to house 1,000 Veterans and has since assisted 3,000 additional Veterans, an increase of 200% during the past four years. Veterans who receive this financial assistance are able to move into approved housing quickly, often because Veterans Matter is able to provide the security deposits to the landlord within 24-48 hours.

Veterans Matter is a program of the non-profit organization 1Matters.org. Established in 2012, the program removes financial obstacles to securing stable housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

“As a nation, we have an obligation to help Veterans who fall on hard times,” said Ken Leslie, who founded Veterans Matter and once was homeless. “Our partnership with VA demonstrates how the public and private sectors can unite to help Veterans exit homelessness and reintegrate back into their families and communities.”

The HUD-VASH program is a collaboration between HUD and VA that combines HUD housing vouchers with VA supportive services such as employment assistance, health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling. The program enrolls more Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness than any other federal program.

va.gov

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