The Biden administration announced a slew of actions designed to reduce homelessness among military veterans on Thursday morning.
The administration’s plans include investing $3.1 billion to help communities nationwide rehouse people experiencing homelessness, while the Department of Veterans Affairs is awarding $11.5 million to 79 public and nonprofit organizations through the new Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program.
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The Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service will also award more than $58 million in grants to help veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness reintegrate into the labor force.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the VA are also launching a series of “boot camps” to improve program efficiency and impact of public housing agencies and VA medical sentences. A senior administration official said there will be 10 “boot camps” held this year in-person that will look to “reinvigorate the partnerships, share best practices, improving the overall efficiency and impact of the program, and to increase utilization of the [HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)] program.”
A readout from the White House noted that the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by roughly 11% since early 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010.
“In 2022, we set a goal of permanently housing 38,000 veterans by the end of calendar 2022. Through the hard work of the administration, including with our interagency partners, dedicated VA employees and advocates all over the nation. In fact, we permanently housed more than 40,000 veterans,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough told reporters. “We set the same goal of 38,000 again this year for calendar 2023. And we are on track to meet if not exceed that goal once again.”
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“Moreover, last year in calendar 2022, we prevented more than 17,700 veterans and their families from falling into homelessness and helped nearly 192,000 additional veteran family members, veterans and family members who are experiencing financial difficulties retain their homes and avoid foreclosure,” McDonough added.
The more than $3 billion that HUD will invest under the Continuum of Care program will assist anyone experiencing homelessness, not just veterans, according to a senior administration official.
