The Biden administration announced on June 29 new actions to prevent and reduce homelessness among veterans. 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 (see Memo, 11/7). The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) efforts to combat veteran homelessness are grounded in the evidence-based Housing First approach, which prioritizes helping veterans access housing and then providing them with voluntary wraparound services they need to stay housed – including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more. The new actions will advance the Biden administration’s goal of permanently housing at least 38,000 veterans in 2023.
Specifically, the Biden administration is:
- Making the largest-ever single-year investment in communities’ homelessness response systems. HUD will provide more than $3.1 billion under the Continuum of Care (CoC) program to homeless service organizations for supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. HUD is encouraging CoCs to work and coordinate with local VA Medical Centers to ensure these funds are effectively supporting veterans and their families.
- Providing new legal services for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including legal representation to help prevent eviction and helping veterans obtain public benefits for which they are eligible. The VA is awarding $11.5 million to public and nonprofit organizations through its new Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program.
- Helping veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness find jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) is awarding more than $58 million in grant funding to help veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness reintegrate into the labor force.
- Launching supportive services to quickly rehouse veterans experiencing homelessness. HUD and VA will host a series of Boot Camps to help public housing agencies and VA Medical Centers improve program efficiency, impact, and utilization of the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. The HUD-VASH program pairs rental assistance with case management and supportive services.
Read the White House announcement at: https://tinyurl.com/4xwnfu93