Researchers Find that Veterans with Disabilities are at Greater Risk of Experiencing Poor Housing Conditions than Non-Disabled Veterans

By Raquel Harati, NLIHC Research Analyst 

Recent research published in Cityscape, “Veterans and Disability: Intersecting Status, State-Level Resources, and Their Association with Poor Housing Conditions for Disabled Veterans, 2018 to 2023,” examines the intersection of veteran status and disability status in relation to poor housing conditions. The authors find that veterans with disabilities are at greater risk of experiencing poor housing conditions compared to nondisabled civilians, civilians with disabilities, and nondisabled veterans. They also found that a higher prevalence of veteran-specific resources was not always associated with lower odds of experiencing poor housing conditions. These findings demonstrate the importance of further research into the distinct housing challenges of veterans with disabilities and the development of targeted interventions that address their unique needs.  

While previous research has examined housing conditions of individuals with disabilities and of veterans as discrete populations, much remains unknown about the housing conditions of veterans with disabilities. To address this research gap, the authors analyzed five-year samples from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) database to compare the risk of experiencing poor housing conditions among four noninstitutionalized groups: nondisabled civilians, civilians with disabilities, nondisabled veterans, and veterans with disabilities. Poor housing conditions were defined as the presence of at least two of the following issues: incomplete kitchen, incomplete plumbing, overcrowding, or housing cost burden (defined as total housing costs exceeding 30% of household income). The authors controlled for different sociodemographic factors including race, age, sex, and income in their analysis.  

The authors found that veterans were more likely to be homeowners than civilians, with 69.1% and 73.7% of veterans owning a home in 2018 and 2023, respectively, compared to 62.9% and 64.8% of civilians. In both years, veterans were also less likely to experience poor housing conditions compared to civilians. However, when examining outcomes for veterans by disability status, the authors found that disabled veterans had higher rates of all four types of poor housing conditions in both 2018 and 2023 compared to veterans without disabilities. An estimated three in ten disabled veterans were found to be housing cost-burdened, relative to two in ten nondisabled veterans. Moreover, when considered individually, being a veteran or having a disability—but not both—were each found to be protective against poor housing conditions, suggesting that the intersection of these identities may carry additional risks related to housing.  

The authors also created a dataset of veterans’ resources—including U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities, Vet centers, military bases, and military colleges—and then calculated the number of veteran resources per 10,000 veterans within each state as a measure of resource availability. When comparing veterans’ resource availability to poor housing conditions, they found that greater availability of VA healthcare centers and military bases served as a protective factor against poor housing conditions. However, greater availability of Vet centers—mental health and resource centers usually in metropolitan areas—was associated with increased odds of living in poor housing conditions. The authors note that these opposing effects may be due in part to differences in the quality, consistency, geographic distribution, and accessibility of veteran services across communities, and that the availability of these resources does not necessarily mean veterans are willing or able to engage with them.  

The authors conclude that researchers and policymakers should consider veterans with disabilities as a distinct population, noting that “being a disabled veteran diminishes the protective condition of disability or veteran status and increases the vulnerability and risk for poor housing when combined.” Rather than assuming that resources for people with disabilities or for veterans will adequately meet their unique intersecting needs, they call for the development of more integrated services for veterans with disabilities that blend healthcare and housing support with individually tailored accommodations. The authors also propose the creation of a centralized database that tracks available veteran resources and additional further research to examine how veterans actually interact with resources. 

Read the full research article.