Join Now

Want news that’s as fresh as your morning coffee? Join our community and stay in the know!

Homelessness among veterans drops to record low levels

Date:

Share:

The number of homeless veterans in America dropped to its lowest level on record this year, down more than 55% over the last 14 years, according to data released by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday.

The improvement comes after three years of aggressive efforts by department leaders to quickly find permanent housing for veterans facing economic hardship and mental health challenges. Officials announced earlier this fall they had helped place nearly 48,000 veterans in stable housing in fiscal 2024 alone, and more than 133,000 over the last three years.

The estimate of veterans dealing with homelessness comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual point-in-time count, conducted each January. This year, face-to-face surveys across the country found 32,882 veterans living on the street without stable housing, a reduction of about 2,700 individuals from the 2023 count.

In a statement, VA Secretary Denis McDonough called that estimate an encouraging sign.

“No veteran should experience homelessness in this country they swore to defend,” he said. “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.”

In 2010, President Barack Obama announced a nationwide push to end homelessness among veterans, an ambitious goal that advocates hailed as a turning point in outreach efforts to struggling veterans. That included better tracking of the number of homeless veterans, since that data had not been monitored on a reliable basis.

At the time, federal agencies estimated that as many as 74,000 were without stable housing on any given night in America.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Jeff Olivet said that the steady decrease shows that “with the right investments in housing and health care, and with strong leadership and coordination across government, homelessness is solvable.”

So far in 2024, VA has awarded more than $800 million in grants to help veterans experiencing homelessness. In recent years the department has also expanded legal services for veterans without stable housing and eased eligibility rules for veterans to receive assistance before facing homelessness.

The full point-in-time count report from HUD, which shows trends on homelessness among all Americans, is expected to be released in the next few weeks.

Kathryn Monet, CEO of the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans, said the latest numbers are encouraging news for homeless advocates.

“The return to decreases in veteran homelessness estimates reflects the power of community work, the impact of housing-focused interventions, and the tenacity we see every day from organizations on the front lines of responding to this emergency,” she said. “These results remind us that when we come together with the intent to create systemic change, we can improve access to housing for veterans.”

Veterans currently experiencing homelessness or related financial problems can contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 or visit the department’s website for more information.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

Unmatched Baby Essentials

baby

━ more like this

Space Force lacks ‘warfighting ethos,’ experts say

U.S. policies around weapons in space, its over-classification of space capabilities and a lacking “warfighting ethos” are undermining public perception of the Space Force...

A Reading Expert’s Case for Rethinking Fluency

Reading fluency — the ability to read accurately, automatically and with appropriate expression — remains a critical yet often overlooked component of literacy development....

Air Force tests unarmed nuclear missile in pre-dawn video

The Air Force conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile early Wednesday to help ensure its land-based nuclear force still operates...

The D Brief: Trump blames Kyiv for war; DOGE at Pentagon; Uncertainty at SDA; State’s Afghan-resettlement office at risk; And a bit more.

Trump joins Putin’s Ukraine blame game: Almost exactly three years ago, Russia’s military launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a young democracy on Russia’s...

US troops, Afghan allies say executive orders endanger their families

Editor’s note: For this story, Military Times spoke to multiple U.S. service members, as well as Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the war...

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here