VA exceeds its goal for housing homeless veterans

Between October 2023 and August 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs housed 43,116 veterans experiencing homelessness, surpassing its fiscal year 2024 goal to house 41,000 one month before the end of the fiscal year.

According to a release, the VA also ensured that 96.3 percent of the veterans housed so far this fiscal year have not returned to homelessness and engaged 38,476 unsheltered veterans to ensure they have access to the housing and other wraparound services they need.

“No person who has served this country should ever have to experience homelessness,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “As a result of this year’s efforts, more than 43,000 formerly homeless Veterans now have access to the homes that they deserve. And make no mistake: we won’t rest until every veteran has a safe, stable, accessible, and affordable home to call their own.”

The VA’s efforts to combat veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. The evidence-based “Housing First” approach prioritizes getting a veteran into housing, then providing or connecting them with the wraparound services and supports they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more.

The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has also fallen by over 4 percent since early 2020 and by more than 52 percent since 2010, according to the VA.

In the Greater Los Angeles area, VA has provided 1,647 homeless veterans with permanent housing so far this fiscal year — the most of any city in America for the third year. That also exceeds VA’s FY 2024 for this region by 2.6 percent. A recent Point-In-Time count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found a 22.9 percent reduction in veterans experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles between 2023 and 2024.

In August, the VA awarded more than $800 million in grants through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem programs. In July, more than $26 million in grants were awarded to support legal services for veterans facing homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA also recently announced policy changes that will help more veterans receive housing assistance under the HUD-VA Supportive Housing program.

Visit here VA.gov/homeless to learn about housing initiatives and other programs supporting veterans experiencing homelessness.

Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com .