Has Nationwide Veteran Homeless Population Reached Record Low?
A snapshot estimate indicates it has.
Results of the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count show a record low in veteran homelessness since measurement began in 2009 and a 7.5 percent decrease since 2023, according to an announcement from HUD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Nationwide, the data shows an 11.7 percent reduction in veterans experiencing homelessness since 2020 and a 55.6 percent reduction since 2010.
The PIT Count is an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. The data show there were 32,882 veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States in January 2024, 13,851 of whom were unsheltered, down from 35,574 and 15,507 in 2023, respectively. This represents a 10.7 percent decrease in unsheltered veteran homelessness nationwide in the last year.
Last month, the VA announced it permanently housed nearly 48,000 homeless veterans in fiscal year 2024 and 134,000 veterans since 2022. The VA has been working aggressively to end veteran homelessness nationwide. This year, VA awarded more than $800 million in grants to help veterans experiencing homelessness. Additionally, USICH recently released the federal government’s first ever framework for homelessness prevention, and HUD and VA announced policy changes that will help more veterans receive housing assistance under the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
The HUD-VASH program is a joint effort between HUD and VA to move veterans and their families out of homelessness and into permanent housing. The program combines HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the VA. And the VA provides these services for participating veterans at VA medical centers and community-based outreach clinics, through VA contractors, or through other VA-designated entities. According to HUD, since the program’s inception, HUD-VASH has helped more than 200,000 veterans exit homelessness and obtain permanent affordable housing.
Expanded Access to HUD-VASH Program
This year, HUD made policy changes to the VASH program to improve access for more veterans experiencing homelessness. The changes are intended to help more homeless veterans with service-connected disability benefits gain access to these supportive housing developments. HUD expanded access by:
Setting initial income eligibility at 80 percent of AMI: HUD requires PHAs that administer HUD-VASH to set the initial income eligibility for veterans at 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), rather than 50 percent of AMI. The use of this higher initial income eligibility threshold was optional, but HUD has made this increase mandatory.
Excluding service-connected disability benefits from income calculations: HUD has adopted an alternative definition of annual income for applicants and participants of the HUD-VASH program that excludes veterans’ service-connected disability benefits when determining eligibility.
Non-competitive awards of project-based HUD-VASH contracts: This flexibility allows noncompetitive selection of one or more project-based voucher projects where all units serve HUD-VASH families at a VA facility.
Exception to payment standards: This flexibility allows approval of up to 140 percent of the Fair Market Rent as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, but only with HUD approval.
Separate minimum rent policies: This flexibility allows PHAs the option for zero minimum rent for their HUD-VASH program.