The Department of Veterans Affairs says that it permanently housed 46,552 homeless veterans in 2023 — surpassing the calendar year goal to house 38,000 veterans by 22.5%.
This is the second year in a row that VA has housed more than 40,000 homeless veterans. 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 to retain their homes or avoid foreclosure, VA said in a statement.
“No veteran should ever experience the tragedy and indignity of homelessness,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “More than 46,000 formerly homeless veterans are going to sleep tonight in good, safe, stable homes — and there’s nothing more important than that. While this is an important step forward, we’re not stopping here — we’re going to keep pushing until every veteran has a safe, stable place to call home in this country they fought to defend.”
VA also made progress in combating veteran homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles area, providing 1,790 homeless veterans with permanent housing in 2023 — which is the most of any city in America and exceeds the local calendar year goal for 2023 by 19.3%.
According to VA, it engaged with 40,203 unsheltered veterans in 2023 and connected them with the housing and resources they needed, exceeding its calendar year goal by 43.6%.
VA utilizes an evidence-based “Housing First” approach to combat veteran homelessness by reaching out to homeless veterans in order to understand and address their unique needs.
The approach prioritizes 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. The initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to reduce homelessness.
Nationally, VA staff and its community partners 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 here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.