Veteran homelessness reaches record low, decreasing by 7.5% since 2023

On Dec. 27, 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annouced the results of the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, the annual effort to estimate the number of Americans, including Veterans, without permanent housing.

The data show that on a single night in January 2024 there were 32,882 Veterans who experienced homelessness in the U.S. This is a record low in Veteran homelessness since measurement began in 2009, and a 7.5% decrease since 2023.

Overall, the data show an 11.7% reduction in Veterans experiencing homelessness since 2020 and a 55.6% reduction since 2010.

A deeper look

Looking deeper at the data, we see that of the Veterans counted:

• 19,031 experienced sheltered homelessness-a decrease of 1,036 Veterans (5.2%) from 2023.
• 13,851 experienced unsheltered homelessness-a decrease of 1,656 Veterans (10.6%) from 2023.

Veterans who experience sheltered homelessness often live in places such as emergency shelters, transitional housing programs or other supportive settings. In contrast, Veterans who experience unsheltered homelessness live in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings and literally on the street.

The experience of homelessness alone is already harmful to Veterans' whole health, mind, body and soul. However, unsheltered homelessness among Veterans is even worse, with research demonstrating that unsheltered individuals often report more significant negative health conditions than those who are sheltered.

VA and our federal partners have made supporting unsheltered Veterans a top priority. In fiscal year 2024, VA engaged with 42,064 unsheltered Veterans to ensure they accessed the shelter and housing resources they needed. This exceeded VA's goal to engage with 40,000 unsheltered Veterans by 5.2%.

Read the full results in HUD's 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress.

Behind the numbers

These outcomes are a direct result of VA's aggressive actions to combat Veteran homelessness in calendar year 2023. As of Dec. 31, 2023, less than a month before the 2024 PIT Count was conducted:

• 46,552 Veterans were permanently housed, representing 122.5% of the 2023 goal. Throughout the year, VA staff and community partners helped Veterans find permanent housing, such as apartments or houses that Veterans could rent or own, often with a subsidy to help make the housing affordable. VA staff also helped some Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends. This built upon VA's success in housing over 40,000 homeless Veterans in 2022.
• 95.9% of the Veterans housed that year remained in housing. 1,919 Veterans returned to homelessness, representing 4.1% of the Veterans housed. Of those, 1,850 Veterans have been rehoused or placed on a pathway to re-housing, representing 96.4% of Veterans who have returned to homelessness.
• 40,203 unsheltered Veterans were engaged to ensure they had access to the housing resources they need, representing 143% of the goal.

By connecting more unsheltered Veterans to VA assistance programs, helping more Veterans exit homelessness to permanent housing, and doing everything in our power to keep them housed, VA's actions have directly led to the historic low that was revealed in the 2024 PIT Count.

These results do not include the even more aggressive actions that VA took to permanently house nearly 48,000 homeless Veterans fiscal year 2024. Further, 85 communities and three states have achieved an effective end to Veteran homelessness. Since the 2024 PIT Count was conducted, Dallas, Texas, and Hennepin County, Minnesota, both effectively ended Veteran homelessness.

The right tools for the job

VA offers a wide array of services to address the full range of housing needs Veterans may have. We provide:

• Outreach services such as Health Care for Homeless Veterans and the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, which are the front doors to both VA homeless programs and the broader VA healthcare system.
• Residential services such as the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Contracted Residential Services or Grant and Per Diem programs, which provide temporary placement in the form of emergency or transitional housing, for Veterans who need a place to stay right now.
• Permanent housing services, such as the Supportive Services for Veteran Families and HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) programs, connect Veterans to affordable housing in their communities. These services come with either short or long-term rental subsidies, case management and varying levels of wrap-around supportive services to ensure that Veterans have all the necessary resources to stay housed.

VA also has programs to assist Veterans in the criminal justice system with accessing VA services, help Veterans gain meaningful employment, or take care of their health needs through primary care tailored to the unique access barriers that Veterans experiencing homelessness face.

The success we've seen with Veterans shows that we have the right solutions and could be used as a blueprint for ending overall homelessness in America.

Learn more about how VA uses it's $3.2 billion budget to help homeless Veterans.

The work ahead

Despite this progress, one homeless Veteran continues to be one too many. We're hard at work to establish our FY25 Homelessness Goals and anticipate announcing the updated framework in the coming months.

The fight to end homelessness among Veterans is not over and we won't rest until every Veteran has a safe, stable, accessible and affordable place to call home.

Learn about VA programs

If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).

Visit VA Homeless Programs to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.

Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about Veteran homelessness.

Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.

For more stories like these, subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

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