Ways To Fight Veteran Homelessness

Re-Housing

A few years ago the VA implemented the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, which funds rapid re-housing for homeless veterans and their families. The program also pays for homelessness prevention, but the VA primarily focuses on re-housing veterans over anything else. Thousands upon thousands of veterans have been re-housed through the program, and it’s expected that the program will continue to house the majority of veterans through rapid re-housing.

The Right Programs

The VA provides a slew of programs that serve homeless veterans. Many of these programs have taught homeless vets many things to help them get back into the world. The programs have been developed by individuals who have worked on homelessness around the country for many years, such as service providers for homeless advocates and federal/local officials, and who have researched many high-performing communities in order to advance Housing First Strategies.

Permanent Supportive Housing

The veterans who have been on the streets the longest are typically the ones who suffer from some sort of disabilities. Groups such as The Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program have been integral in combating veteran homelessness around the country and these two groups, in particular, have come together to become HUD-VASH, a group that is primarily focused on vets with disabilities, regardless of their inability to house as many veterans as some other programs. 

The eradication of veteran homelessness takes a lot of brainpower and teamwork from many people with a passion to make a difference. Beyond this, it’s always important to remember that the veterans themselves are also getting involved and making sure their fellow soldiers who are coming home from conflict have roofs over their heads.