WASHINGTON (LOOTPRESS) —The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it housed 47,925 Veterans Experiencing homelessness in FY 2024, surpassing its goal to house 41,000 Veterans by 16.9% and marking the largest number of Veterans housed in a single year since FY 2019. VA also ensured that 96% of the Veterans housed during this time did not return to homelessness. This follows last month’s announcement that VA had surpassed its FY 2024 housing goal a month early.
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority for VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration. Since FY 2022, VA has permanently housed nearly 134,000 homeless veterans, and the total number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has fallen by over 4% since early 2020 and by more than 52% since 2010.
“Nearly 48,000 formerly homeless Veterans now have a safe, stable place to call home — and there’s nothing more important than that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “No Veteran should experience homelessness in this nation they swore to defend. We are making real progress in this fight, and we will not rest until Veteran homelessness is a thing of the past.”
VA has also made progress in combating Veteran homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles area, permanently housing 1,854 homeless Veterans this fiscal year — the most of any city in America (for the third year in a row) and exceeding VA’s FY 2024 goals for this region by 15.5%. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s recent Point-in Time count revealed a 22.9% reduction in Veterans experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles between 2023 and 2024.
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 or connecting them with the wraparound services and supports they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more.
Visit VA.gov/homeless to learn about housing initiatives and other programs supporting Veterans experiencing homelessness.
