The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on November 29 that the department has permanently housed 38,847 veterans through October 2023, surpassing its goal of housing 38,000 veterans experiencing homelessness in 2023 two months early. The VA’s efforts are grounded in the Housing First approach, which prioritizes helping veterans access housing and then providing them with voluntary wraparound services, such as health care, job training, and legal assistance.
Through October, the VA has worked with nearly 34,500 unsheltered veterans to connect them to housing and resources, exceeding the department’s goal by 123%. The VA also ensured that 96% of veterans have remained in housing and that 93% of the veterans who returned to homelessness have been rehoused or are on a path to rehousing, exceeding both calendar year goals.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration announced new actions to prevent and reduce homelessness among veterans, including providing legal services for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness; launching supportive services to quickly rehouse veterans experiencing homelessness; and funding programs to help veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness connect to work (see Memo, 7/10). The actions build upon historic investments by the Biden administration that have driven significant reductions in veteran homelessness. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased by 11% since early 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010.
Read the VA announcement at: https://tinyurl.com/msb4emcy
Learn more about Housing First at: https://bit.ly/3ViLyU6