The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the allocation of $806.4 million in grants aimed at supporting homeless and at-risk veterans through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) programs.
Through the SSVF program, VA is awarding 239 grants totaling approximately $797.5 million to community organizations focused on rapidly rehousing veterans and their families, preventing imminent home loss, or identifying more suitable housing situations.
The GPD program will distribute 14 grants amounting to roughly $8.9 million to community organizations providing transitional housing and case management services. These include connecting eligible veterans to VA benefits, community-based services, and permanent housing. The special need grants will fund around 105 transitional housing beds for specific populations of homeless veterans, including women, the elderly, terminally ill individuals, those with chronic mental illnesses, or those caring for minor dependents.
Ending veteran homelessness remains a top priority for both the VA and the Biden-Harris Administration. The number of homeless veterans decreased by 4.5% from 2020 to 2023 and has dropped by 52% since 2010. These grants are part of ongoing efforts toward the fiscal year 2024 goal to house an additional 41,000 homeless veterans. In 2023 alone, VA placed over 46,500 homeless veterans into permanent housing—exceeding its goal by nearly 23%.
"We’re making real progress in reducing veteran homelessness, but there is much more work to do," said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. "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."
These initiatives are based on the evidence-based "Housing First" approach that prioritizes securing housing for veterans first followed by comprehensive support services such as healthcare, job training, legal assistance, education support among others.
The announcement follows recent policy changes introduced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA under the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program intended to help more veterans receive housing assistance.
For further details about VA's comprehensive efforts to end veteran homelessness or information about specific grant programs including grantee lists visit:
- [VA’s Homelessness Program](https://www.va.gov/homeless)
- [Grant and Per Diem Program](https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/GPD.asp)
- [Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program](https://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp)
