The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the allocation of $806.4 million in grants aimed at assisting homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families. These funds will be distributed through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program and the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program.
Under the SSVF program, VA is awarding 239 grants totaling approximately $797.5 million to community organizations. These grants are intended to help rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families, prevent the loss of their homes, or assist in finding more suitable housing options.
The GPD program will distribute 14 grants worth approximately $8.9 million to community organizations that offer transitional housing and case management for Veterans. This includes connecting eligible Veterans with VA benefits, community services, and permanent housing. These special grants will fund around 105 transitional housing beds for specific groups of homeless Veterans, including women, the elderly, the terminally ill, those with chronic mental illness, and those caring for minor dependents.
Ending Veteran homelessness remains a top priority for the VA and the Biden-Harris Administration. The number of homeless Veterans has decreased by 4.5% from 2020 to 2023, and by 52% since 2010. These grants build on the ongoing efforts to end Veteran homelessness, including VA’s 2024 goal to house 41,000 more homeless Veterans. In 2023, VA exceeded its goal by placing over 46,500 homeless Veterans into permanent housing.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough emphasized the ongoing commitment to this cause, stating, “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.”
The VA’s strategy is based on the “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes providing Veterans with housing first, followed by support services such as healthcare, job training, legal assistance, and education to ensure they remain housed.
This significant funding announcement comes shortly after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA introduced policy changes to enhance the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. These changes include adjusting income eligibility criteria and excluding Veterans’ disability benefits from income calculations, which are expected to increase the number of Veterans eligible for housing assistance.
For more information on the VA’s efforts to end Veteran homelessness, visit VA.gov/homeless. Detailed information on the Grant and Per Diem program and the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, including lists of grantees, is available on their respective websites.
