Veterans Affairs awards $800 million to help homeless vets

The Department of Veterans Affairs just announced it has awarded $806 million in grants to help homeless and at-risk military veterans through a pair of programs.

Most of the funds will go to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, which will send grants to 239 community organizations "that help rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families, prevent the imminent loss of Veterans’ homes, or identify more suitable housing situations."

About $9 million will be spent on the Grant and Per Diem Program, which helps provide transitional housing and case management for veterans.

Veterans Affairs estimates that veterans experiencing homelessness decreased by 52% since 2010. However, Veterans Affairs data indicated that there was an increase in homeless veterans between 2022 and 2023, reversing years of downward trends.

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Veterans Affairs estimated there were 35,574 veterans who spent at least one night homeless in 2023. In 2010, there were over 74,000.

Of the 35,574 veterans, about 20,000 were considered "sheltered," while about 15,500 were considered "unsheltered."

“We’re making real progress in reducing Veteran homelessness, but there is much more work to do,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “These grants allow VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration, alongside community partners, to provide more housing and wraparound services to more homeless and at-risk Veterans than ever before.”

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The largest grant went to Nation's Finest, an organization that provides services to homeless veterans in Nevada and Arizona. The agency is set to receive nearly $23 million from Veterans Affairs. The group claimed to help 7,524 veterans in 2023 with housing, employment and mental health services.

The full list of organizations throughout the U.S. receiving funds is available online.