The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday said it has permanently housed 26,470 veterans through July 2023, on pace to exceed its goal of housing 38,000 homeless veterans in 2023.
At the same time, VA also announced more than $1 billion in grants to help homeless and at-risk Veterans through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem programs.
“These community organizations will provide supportive services to rapidly rehouse veterans and their families and preventative services to help veterans from losing their homes,” said VA’s Director of Clinical Operations Jill Albanese during an Aug. 25 media roundtable in advance of the announcement.
Albanese said the grants are a critical part of VA’s efforts to provide housing for veterans in collaboration with the community. Under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, VA is awarding 256 grants totaling approximately $799 million to community organizations that help rapidly rehouse veterans and their families, prevent the imminent loss of veterans’ homes, or identify more suitable housing situations for veterans and their families.
“We all have a part to play in ending veteran homelessness,” she said.
Albanese said about 97% of the veterans placed in new housing remain in those homes.
Related
“All of our efforts are built around the evidence-based, housing-first approach which prioritizes getting veterans into housing and then assists them with the wraparound services that they need, including health care and other support,” she said.
Through the Grant and Per Diem program, VA is awarding 454 grants totaling approximately $257 million to community organizations that provide veterans with transitional housing and case management — including connecting veterans to VA benefits, community-based services, and permanent housing.
“These grants will allow VA, alongside our community partners, to help provide more housing and wraparound services to more homeless and at-risk veterans than ever before,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough in a statement.
According to the VA, in 2022 it 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.
Related
“We won’t rest until every veteran has the safe, stable home that they deserve – because none of our nation’s heroes should be homeless in this country they fought to defend,” said McDonough.
Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris Administration announced major new actions to prevent and reduce homelessness among veterans, including launching supportive services to quickly rehouse veterans experiencing homelessness; providing new legal services for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness; and funding programs to help veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness find jobs and connect to work.
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.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.