Homelessness among veterans drops to record low levels

The variety of homeless veterans in America dropped to its lowest stage on report this yr, down greater than 55% over the past 14 years, in accordance with information launched by the Division of Veterans Affairs on Monday.

The development comes after three years of aggressive efforts by division leaders to rapidly discover everlasting housing for veterans going through financial hardship and psychological well being challenges. Officers introduced earlier this fall that they had helped place almost 48,000 veterans in steady housing in fiscal 2024 alone, and greater than 133,000 over the past three years.

The estimate of veterans coping with homelessness comes from the Division of Housing and City Improvement’s annual point-in-time depend, performed every January. This yr, face-to-face surveys throughout the nation discovered 32,882 veterans residing on the road with out steady housing, a discount of about 2,700 people from the 2023 depend.

In an announcement, VA Secretary Denis McDonough referred to as that estimate an encouraging signal.

“No veteran ought to expertise homelessness on this nation they swore to defend,” he mentioned. “This yr’s PIT Depend reveals that VA and your entire Biden-Harris administration are making actual progress within the battle to finish veteran homelessness. We nonetheless have a protracted technique to go, however we won’t cease till each veteran has a secure, steady place to name house.”

In 2010, President Barack Obama introduced a nationwide push to finish homelessness amongst veterans, an formidable aim that advocates hailed as a turning level in outreach efforts to struggling veterans. That included higher monitoring of the variety of homeless veterans, since that information had not been monitored on a dependable foundation.

On the time, federal businesses estimated that as many as 74,000 had been with out steady housing on any given evening in America.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Jeff Olivet mentioned that the regular lower reveals that “with the best investments in housing and well being care, and with robust management and coordination throughout authorities, homelessness is solvable.”

To date in 2024, VA has awarded greater than $800 million in grants to assist veterans experiencing homelessness. In recent times the division has additionally expanded authorized companies for veterans with out steady housing and eased eligibility guidelines for veterans to obtain help earlier than going through homelessness.

The total point-in-time depend report from HUD, which reveals traits on homelessness amongst all People, is anticipated to be launched within the subsequent few weeks.

Kathryn Monet, CEO of the Nationwide Coalition of Homeless Veterans, mentioned the most recent numbers are encouraging information for homeless advocates.

“The return to decreases in veteran homelessness estimates displays the facility of group work, the influence of housing-focused interventions, and the tenacity we see day by day from organizations on the entrance strains of responding to this emergency,” she mentioned. “These outcomes remind us that once we come along with the intent to create systemic change, we are able to enhance entry to housing for veterans.”

Veterans at present experiencing homelessness or associated monetary issues can contact the Nationwide Name Heart for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 or go to the division’s web site for extra data.