VA says it exceeded aim for housing homeless veterans final 12 months

The Division of Veterans Affairs introduced Thursday that it surpassed its 2022 targets for housing veterans experiencing homelessness.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough set a aim of housing 38,000 veterans by the top of final 12 months. The company mentioned 40,401 veterans had been completely housed, exceeding the aim by 6.3%. 

McDonough mentioned ending veteran homelessness was a prime precedence. “We at VA is not going to relaxation till the phrase ‘homeless Veteran’ is a factor of the previous,” he mentioned in a information launch. 

The variety of veterans experiencing homelessness within the U.S. has decreased by 11% since January 2020 and by greater than 55% since 2010, in accordance with the VA.

In a name with reporters, Monica Diaz, the manager director of the Veterans Well being Administration Homeless Packages Workplace, attributed the company’s success to environment friendly use of subsidies and what she known as an evidence-based, housing-first method to ending homelessness. The tactic prioritizes getting veterans into housing, then offering help providers, together with well being care and job coaching, in addition to any wanted psychological well being or substance dependency interventions to assist veterans keep in housing. 

Diaz additionally mentioned her workplace has carried out a strong homelessness prevention program that seeks out veterans who could also be susceptible to falling into homelessness and affords help providers to assist them keep away from it. 

In an interview forward of Veterans Day final 12 months, McDonough touted the method and credited the American individuals’s generosity as a key consider assembly his housing targets and protecting veterans housed.  

“Now we have the sources to start to deal with these challenges with wraparound providers,” McDonough mentioned. “So the explanation the vet was homeless within the first place will get addressed. Utilizing that, I’m assured we’ll get to zero.” 

Diaz advised reporters her workplace can be monitoring the veterans who’ve been helped into housing to make sure they keep of their new houses. She mentioned the VA is engaged on establishing new targets to deal with much more veterans sooner or later. 

Veterans experiencing homelessness or susceptible to homelessness can name the Nationwide Heart for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).