VA Surpasses Housing Goal for Homeless Veterans in 2024

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) exceeded its 2024 goal to house 41,000 veterans, housing 47,935 veterans—an increase of 16.9% and the highest number housed in a single year since 2019. What’s more, it passed that housing goal a month early.

Ending veteran homelessness has been a priority for VA and the Biden-Harris administration. Since 2022, the VA has permanently housed nearly 134,000 homeless veterans. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the US has decreased by over 4% since 2020 and by more than 52% since 2010.

The marked decline in homelessness is largely due to the VA’s change in approach. Transitional housing often has followed a linear stepwise model, designed to foster housing readiness by encouraging sobriety and treatment compliance before moving the veteran to the next stage, from emergency shelter to transitional, and finally, permanent housing. While this method worked for some, it posed challenges for those with serious mental illness, substance addiction, or chronic medical conditions.

The VA began shifting its approach in 2012, adopting what it calls its north star—the evidence-based housing first approach. This strategy prioritizes getting veterans into housing as quickly as possible, skipping the intermediate transitional interventions, and then providing wraparound services such as job training and legal and education assistance. “Permanent housing is a critical tool, rather than a reward, for recovery,” says Shawn Liu, director of communications for the VA Homeless Programs Office, in a 2023 article.

A systematic review of studies from 1992 to 2017, shows that the housing first model leads to quicker exits from homelessness and greater long-term housing stability compared with traditional methods. The VA has also found that doing away with enrollment preconditions helps shorten stays among transitional housing providers, improves rates of permanent housing, and increases access to supportive services when needed.

Evidence suggests that the housing first model may reduce the use of emergency department services, hospitalizations, and hospitalized time compared with traditional treatment methods (although the meta-analysis found “considerable variability” between its examined studies). However, evidence that the Housing First model improves health outcomes associated with mental health, substance abuse, or physical health, remains inconclusive. 

In 2010, a demonstration project in the VA setting compared the housing first model with a treatment‐first program for 177 homeless veterans. The study found that the housing first model reduced time to housing placement from 223 to 35 days, significantly increased housing retention rates (98% vs 86%), and significantly reduced emergency room visits.

Over the past decade, the VA has focused on building on the strengths of the program and identifying areas for improvement, such as increasing the prevalence of recovery-oriented philosophies among service providers. “Nearly 48,000 formerly homeless veterans now have a safe, stable place to call home—and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “No veteran should experience homelessness in this nation they swore to defend. We are making real progress in this fight, and we will not rest until veteran homelessness is a thing of the past.”

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) exceeded its 2024 goal to house 41,000 veterans, housing 47,935 veterans—an increase of 16.9% and the highest number housed in a single year since 2019. What’s more, it passed that housing goal a month early.

Ending veteran homelessness has been a priority for VA and the Biden-Harris administration. Since 2022, the VA has permanently housed nearly 134,000 homeless veterans. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the US has decreased by over 4% since 2020 and by more than 52% since 2010.

The marked decline in homelessness is largely due to the VA’s change in approach. Transitional housing often has followed a linear stepwise model, designed to foster housing readiness by encouraging sobriety and treatment compliance before moving the veteran to the next stage, from emergency shelter to transitional, and finally, permanent housing. While this method worked for some, it posed challenges for those with serious mental illness, substance addiction, or chronic medical conditions.

The VA began shifting its approach in 2012, adopting what it calls its north star—the evidence-based housing first approach. This strategy prioritizes getting veterans into housing as quickly as possible, skipping the intermediate transitional interventions, and then providing wraparound services such as job training and legal and education assistance. “Permanent housing is a critical tool, rather than a reward, for recovery,” says Shawn Liu, director of communications for the VA Homeless Programs Office, in a 2023 article.

A systematic review of studies from 1992 to 2017, shows that the housing first model leads to quicker exits from homelessness and greater long-term housing stability compared with traditional methods. The VA has also found that doing away with enrollment preconditions helps shorten stays among transitional housing providers, improves rates of permanent housing, and increases access to supportive services when needed.

Evidence suggests that the housing first model may reduce the use of emergency department services, hospitalizations, and hospitalized time compared with traditional treatment methods (although the meta-analysis found “considerable variability” between its examined studies). However, evidence that the Housing First model improves health outcomes associated with mental health, substance abuse, or physical health, remains inconclusive. 

In 2010, a demonstration project in the VA setting compared the housing first model with a treatment‐first program for 177 homeless veterans. The study found that the housing first model reduced time to housing placement from 223 to 35 days, significantly increased housing retention rates (98% vs 86%), and significantly reduced emergency room visits.

Over the past decade, the VA has focused on building on the strengths of the program and identifying areas for improvement, such as increasing the prevalence of recovery-oriented philosophies among service providers. “Nearly 48,000 formerly homeless veterans now have a safe, stable place to call home—and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “No veteran should experience homelessness in this nation they swore to defend. We are making real progress in this fight, and we will not rest until veteran homelessness is a thing of the past.”

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) exceeded its 2024 goal to house 41,000 veterans, housing 47,935 veterans—an increase of 16.9% and the highest number housed in a single year since 2019. What’s more, it passed that housing goal a month early.

Ending veteran homelessness has been a priority for VA and the Biden-Harris administration. Since 2022, the VA has permanently housed nearly 134,000 homeless veterans. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the US has decreased by over 4% since 2020 and by more than 52% since 2010.

The marked decline in homelessness is largely due to the VA’s change in approach. Transitional housing often has followed a linear stepwise model, designed to foster housing readiness by encouraging sobriety and treatment compliance before moving the veteran to the next stage, from emergency shelter to transitional, and finally, permanent housing. While this method worked for some, it posed challenges for those with serious mental illness, substance addiction, or chronic medical conditions.

The VA began shifting its approach in 2012, adopting what it calls its north star—the evidence-based housing first approach. This strategy prioritizes getting veterans into housing as quickly as possible, skipping the intermediate transitional interventions, and then providing wraparound services such as job training and legal and education assistance. “Permanent housing is a critical tool, rather than a reward, for recovery,” says Shawn Liu, director of communications for the VA Homeless Programs Office, in a 2023 article.

A systematic review of studies from 1992 to 2017, shows that the housing first model leads to quicker exits from homelessness and greater long-term housing stability compared with traditional methods. The VA has also found that doing away with enrollment preconditions helps shorten stays among transitional housing providers, improves rates of permanent housing, and increases access to supportive services when needed.

Evidence suggests that the housing first model may reduce the use of emergency department services, hospitalizations, and hospitalized time compared with traditional treatment methods (although the meta-analysis found “considerable variability” between its examined studies). However, evidence that the Housing First model improves health outcomes associated with mental health, substance abuse, or physical health, remains inconclusive. 

In 2010, a demonstration project in the VA setting compared the housing first model with a treatment‐first program for 177 homeless veterans. The study found that the housing first model reduced time to housing placement from 223 to 35 days, significantly increased housing retention rates (98% vs 86%), and significantly reduced emergency room visits.

Over the past decade, the VA has focused on building on the strengths of the program and identifying areas for improvement, such as increasing the prevalence of recovery-oriented philosophies among service providers. “Nearly 48,000 formerly homeless veterans now have a safe, stable place to call home—and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “No veteran should experience homelessness in this nation they swore to defend. We are making real progress in this fight, and we will not rest until veteran homelessness is a thing of the past.”