Veteran homelessness has dropped to its lowest level on record since the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) started counting that data in 2009.
That’s according to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Between January 2023 and January 2024, the number of veterans experiencing any form of homelessness dropped from 35,574 to 32,882 — which represents an 7.5 percent drop since last year, an 11.7 percent drop since 2020, and 55.6 percent drop since 2010. Among unsheltered veterans, the number dropped 10.7 percent — from 15,507 in 2023 to 13,851 in 2024.
“No veteran should experience homelessness in this country they swore to defend,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “This year’s PIT Count shows that VA and the entire Biden-Harris administration are making real progress
in the fight to end veteran homelessness. We still have a long way to go, but we will not stop until every veteran has a safe, stable place to call home.”
The 2024 PIT data, which will be published by HUD later this year, represents a snapshot of homelessness on a single night.
“This data show that with the right investments in housing and health care, and with strong leadership and coordination across government, homelessness is solvable,” said USICH Director Jeff Olivet. “The challenge now is to end veteran homelessness and use the lessons we learn to help all people without a home.”
The news comes weeks after VA announced that it permanently housed nearly 48,000 veterans this year alone and more than 133,000 in the last three. And, as of the end of Fiscal Year 2024, nearly 90,000 veterans were under lease with vouchers through the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program, the most veterans served at any point in the program’s history.
This year, VA also awarded more than $800 million in grants to help veterans experiencing homelessness. In 2021, the Biden-Harris administration released strategies to end veteran homelessness. In 2022, VA created the Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program to help veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness obtain benefits, resolve legal issues, and avoid eviction.
Earlier this year, HUD announced policy and other changes to help veterans
receive assistance, including Increasing the initial income eligibility threshold to ensure more veterans qualify for HUD vouchers; adopting an alternative definition of annual income for applicants and participants of the HUD-VASH program that excludes veterans’ service-connected disability benefits when determining eligibility; and hosting a series of “Boot Camps” in partnership with VA to help public housing authorities and VA Medical Centers improve their processes and more quickly transition veterans from homelessness to
permanent housing with wraparound supportive services.
“Far too many of our nation’s veterans experience homelessness each year, and that is why HUD is laser-focused on ensuring that every veteran has a home,” said HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman.
If you are a veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838) or visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.