VA awards over $800 million combating homeless and at-risk Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in combating homeless and at-risk Veterans announced $806.4 million in grants through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem programs.

According to the VA, ending Veteran homelessness is among the top priorities of the VA and Biden-Harris Administration.

VA officials confirm Veterans experiencing homelessness fell by 4.5% between 2020 to 2023 and has dropped 52% overall since 2010. These grants also build upon the significant progress to end Veteran homelessness, including progress towards VA’s fiscal year 2024 goal to house 41,000 more homeless Veterans. In 2023, VA placed more than 46,500 homeless Veterans
into permanent housing, exceeding the goal set for 2023 by nearly 23%.

The current efforts with the awards will focus on efforts that are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes housing Veterans, followed by providing them the wraparound support to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance.

The announcement is set to include changes requiring public housing agencies that administer HUD-VASH to set initial income eligibility at 80% of area median income, and excluding Veterans’ disability benefits when determining income eligibility.

• Supportive Services for Veteran Families: Through the SSVF program, VA is awarding 239 grants totaling approximately $797.5 million to community organizations that help rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families, prevent the imminent loss of Veterans’ homes, or identify more suitable housing situations.
• Grant and Per Diem Program: Through the GPD program, VA will award 14 grants totaling approximately $8.9 million to community organizations that provide Veterans with transitional housing and case management — including connecting eligible Veterans to VA benefits, community-based services, and permanent housing. These special need grants will
  fund approximately 105 transitional housing beds to support special populations of homeless Veterans including women, elderly, terminally ill, chronically mentally ill, or those who care for minor dependents.

“We’re making real progress in reducing Veteran homelessness, but there is much more work to do. These grants allow VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration, alongside community partners, to provide more housing and wraparound services to more homeless and at-risk Veterans than ever before.”

VA Secretary Denis McDonough

For more detailed information about VA’s comprehensive efforts to end Veteran homelessness, click VA.gov/homeless. For the Grant and Per Diem program or view the full list of grantees, click the Grant and Per Diem website. For the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program or view the full list of grantees, click the Supportive Services for Veteran Families website.