Best Practices
Primary Care Medical Services for Homeless Veterans
Researchers compare Homeless Patient-Aligned Care Team clinics at 3 VA medical centers across the U.S. and the role each plays in homeless-focused...
Homelessness has dropped 33% since 2010, according to a 2014 survey by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), VA, and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The annual Point-in-Time Count conducted in January 2014 showed there were 24,837 fewer homeless veterans, down from 49,933 in 2010.
The data also revealed a nearly 40% drop in the number of veterans sleeping on the streets. HUD, VA, USICH, and local partners have been working to get veterans off the streets and into stable housing, using evidence-based practices, such as Housing First, and federal resources, such as the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher program. Since 2008, the HUD-VASH program has served nearly 75,000 veterans, “but we have more work to do,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro in an August 26, 2014, HUD press release. “We have an obligation to ensure that every veteran has a place to call home.”
In spring 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Administration’s Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. So far, more than 250 mayors and county and state officials have committed to the program, which helps communities pursue strategies to end veteran homelessness.