WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it permanently housed 46,552 homeless Veterans in 2023 — surpassing the calendar year goal to house 38,000 Veterans by 22.5%.
In 2023, VA also engaged with 40,203 unsheltered Veterans to connect them with the housing and resources they need, exceeding the Department’s calendar year goal by 43.6%; ensured that 95.9% of Veterans housed have remained in housing, exceeding the Department’s calendar year goal by 0.9%; and ensured that 96.4% of the Veterans who returned to homelessness have been rehoused or are on a pathway to rehousing, exceeding the Department’s calendar year goal by 6.4%.
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of VA and President Biden, who has made supporting Veterans a key pillar of his Unity Agenda for the nation. Thanks in part to these efforts, the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 4% since early 2020 and by more than 52% since 2010.
“No Veteran should ever experience the tragedy and indignity of homelessness. More than 46,000 formerly homeless Veterans are going to sleep tonight in good, safe, stable homes — and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “While this is an important step forward, we’re not stopping here — we’re going to keep pushing until every Veteran has a safe, stable place to call home in this country they fought to defend.”
VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then providing them with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more. This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to reduce homelessness.