News

For Fiscal Year 2012, the Senate Committee on Appropriations asked the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to provide an assessment of the progress of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Veterans Affairs (HUD-VASH) Supportive Housing Program and of efforts to address homelessness experienced by Veterans in rural communities and on Native American reservations. As a result, USICH recently released the USICH Report to Congress on Homeless Veterans.

The report credits the 17 percent reduction in homelessness among Veterans since 2009 to increased collaboration across federal agencies and increased investment in effective homeless assistance programs such as HUD-VASH, which as of September 30, 2012 has provided over 40,000 Veterans with permanent supportive housing through rental vouchers provided by HUD and case management provided by the VA. While national data from the annual homeless point-in-time (PIT) count suggests that Veteran homelessness is heavily concentrated in the urban centers of populous states, special attention is given to the challenges faced by Veterans in rural areas and on Native American reservations. 

View the Report