Percentage Of Homeless Veterans 2021

The Number Of Homeless Veterans Through The Years

1.Good news: the total number of veterans without shelter is steadily decreasing

After a disappointing 2017, the number of veterans without appropriate housing decreased by over 5% in 2018. The decreasing rate has been attributed to continued commitment from local, state, and federal authorities.

Military Times

2. There was a huge drop of homeless veterans in 2018

HUD reported a decline in the number of veterans without shelter and on the streets after counting a total of 37,878 living in transitional housing, shelters, or the streets in early 2018. Compared to 2017, volunteers counted over 2,100 vets less.

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3. The number is down by 43% since 2011

Official HUD records show a sharp decline of vets without a home since 2011. According to HUDs homeless veterans statistics from 2018, the number is now well below 40,000.

4.Yet another decrease was detected in 2019

The US Department of Veterans Affairs reported a further 2.1% drop in early 2019. Thats even more vets off the streets after yet another decline the previous year. Since 2017, the number has repeatedly fallen by a few more percentages, showing that the efforts to end veterans homelessness are coming to fruition.

5.Some states have already announced an end to the problem in 2019

Gender Differences In The Predictors Of Suicide

Veterans experiencing housing instability are at increased risk of suicide The objective of the present study was to explore whether correlates of suicide-related morbidity among unstably housed Veterans vary by gender and identify implications for improved care for these Veterans The study cohort included 86,325 Veterans who reported current housing instability between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2016.

Key points include:

• Among unstably housed female Veterans, being younger than 40 years was associated with more than double the odds of having an indicator of suicidal ideation and > 12 times the odds of having an indicator of a suicide attempt.
• The presence of mental health and substance use conditions as well as a positive screen for military sexual trauma were associated with increased risk of suicide morbidity among both women and men.
• Further research should explore tailored interventions to address the complex needs of unstably housed Veterans and how suicide prevention can be woven throughout.

Housing Instability And Homeless Program Use Among Veterans: The Intersection Of Race Sex And Homelessness Housing Policy Debate February 2020

This study describes race/sex differences in housing instability among veterans and examines whether there are disparities in their access of Veterans Health Administration programs. The sample comprised 5,355,858 veterans who responded to VHAs universal screen for housing instability between October 2012 and March 2016.

Key points include:

• Overall, white men had the lowest rate of positive screens at 2.1% American Indian/Alaska Native women had the highest rate at 6.3%
• Regardless of sex, white veterans had the lowest rates of housing instability.
• Compared with men, women in each racial category had higher rates of housing instability.

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The State Of Veteran Homelessness 2021

Few conditions are more harmful to individual health and welfare than homelessness. Thats why the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to making sure every Veteran has a safe and stable place to call home. Working in partnership with Federal, state, and local community organizations across the country, VA provides wraparound services that integrate housing, health care, employment, and education assistance programs to support at-risk Veterans and help those experiencing homelessness exit and remain stably housed. VA and its partners have dedicated unprecedented resources to help solve this problem. But there is still more work to be done. Heres how we are tackling the challenge, and how you can help.View the full infographic here.

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Who Are The Homeless Vets

12. 60,000 veterans are sleeping on the streets.

Unfortunately, the number of homeless veterans has been rising over the years and on any given night, around 60,000 veterans are sleeping on the streets due to homelessness. Veteran homelessness is a growing concern among US citizens.

13. 1.4 million veterans are at risk of homelessness.

Many ask, why do veterans end up homeless? A lack of healthy support networks, affordable housing, and increasing poverty are the reasons that put veterans at an increased risk of homelessness. It is because of these reasons that an estimated 1.4 million veterans are at risk of homelessness in the US.

14. VA to award more than $400 million in grants to end veteran homelessness.

The US Department of Veteran Affairs has taken the initiative to end veteran homelessness by awarding over $400 million in grants. Where this money will go and how itll help homeless vets are the first questions that concern most people.

15.The US Department of Veterans Affairs is granting more than $400 million under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program . The sum will be distributed to 266 non-profit organizations.

The VA announced that the sum of $400 million will go to 266 non-profit organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands.

16. Housing advocates arent wondering whether the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will lead to an increase in homeless veterans, but rather how big the increase will be.

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Homelessness In Women Veterans

From 2016 to 2017, the number of homeless female Veterans increased by 7 percent, compared to 1 percent for their male counterparts. In a 2016 report, NCHAV found that the number of women identified by the program as being homeless, or who were at high risk for becoming homeless and accessed VA programs to end homelessness among female Veterans, had tripled to 36,443 from 2010 to 2015. According to the center, that figure is projected to rise about 9 percent more by 2025, to nearly 40,000.

Factors leading to homelessness among women Veterans appear to be much different than for men, specifically on issues related to adverse childhood experiences, military sexual trauma, and intimate partner violence. Women also tend to be homeless with children, which presents major challenges.

Homeless Veterans with custody of minor childrenA 2015 study by researchers with the VA Connecticut Health Care System and Yale University found that 30 percent of female and 9 percent of male homeless Veterans have children in their custody, raising concerns about the parenting environment for these children. Among Veterans with unstable housing, 45 percent of women and 18 percent of men had children in custody. Psychotic disorders were found in 11 percent of homeless Veterans with children in custody.

The study also found that men who went through military sexual trauma experienced higher rates of homelessness than women who had similar experiences.

Transitional Housing For Veterans

Veterans who become homeless have more shelter and housing options in metro Phoenix, like Catholic Charities’ MANA House, a transitional housing program for up to 76 veterans.

Senior program director Cole Hickman said veterans staying at MANA House are connected to veteran-specific health care and housing resources during their stay.

“It’s an entitlement they have earned because of their service,” Hickman said.

He said veterans stay at MANA House for an average of 70 days before they move on to permanent housing.

Hickman said demand for shelter and homelessness services slowed down at MANA House during the first several months of the pandemic, but picked up again in early 2021. Since last summer, the house has been at full capacity, he said.

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Women Veterans Report: The Past Present And Future Of Women Veterans Department Of Veterans Affairs National Center For Veterans Analysis And Statistics February 2017

Since the time of the All-Volunteer Force, the number of women serving in the military has grown. Ultimately, these women make the transition from Service member to Veteran. In 2015, women comprised 9.4 percent of the total Veteran population in the United States. By 2043, women are projected to make up 16.3 percent of all living Veterans. This report summarizes the history of women in the military and as Veterans, profiles the characteristics of women Veterans in 2015, illustrates how women Veterans in 2015 used some of the major benefits and services that are offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs , and discusses the future of women Veterans in relation to VA. The goal of this report is to communicate an understanding of who our women Veterans are, how their military service affects their post-military lives, and how they can be better served based on these insights.

Key points include:

A New Place For Veterans

Metro Phoenix soon will have new shelter and housing options for veterans.

In 2020, Phoenix provided $10.5 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds to purchase a new building for U.S. Vets. The organization had to end the lease at its current facility on Grand Avenue when its landlord more than doubled the rent.

The new facility will house more veterans and ensure another rent increase doesn’t push the organization out in the future. It will include 162 transitional housing beds and 30 affordable housing units.

“I’m beyond ecstatic to have a new home,” Jameson said.

She said U.S. Vets is nervous about the long-term impacts of increasing housing and rental prices in metro Phoenix. She said an apartment complex U.S. Vets used to recommend for veterans increased its monthly rent from $835 to $1,500 for a one-bedroom rental.

Jameson said the most important tool is prevention, and U.S. Vets and other organizations are prioritizing keeping veterans in housing.

“Once they’re evicted or homeless, it’s harder to get them back into housing,” she said.

U.S. Vets uses traditional housing programs like Rapid Re-Housing and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers to find permanent housing options for veterans, but it’s also experimenting with some new programs, Jameson said.

She said the organization is also trying a new initiative to connect veterans with roommates to bring down the cost of housing.

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Demographics Of Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

A demographic analysis of the national shelter data showed that:

• veteran shelter users were more likely than non-veterans to be older and over-represented among those aged 50+
• a great majority of veterans than non-veterans were male
• Indigenous and non-Indigenous shelter users were similarly likely to identify as a veteran

Program data from Veterans Affairs Canada shows that veterans receiving supports from the department tended to be older than those accessing shelters. They were also more likely to identify as male .

The 2018 PiT Count survey found similar demographics for veterans. Among veteran respondents, 82.9% identified as male and 34.3% as First Nations, Metis or Inuit. The median age was also 48 years. Female veterans experiencing homelessness were younger than male veterans. Approximately 72.1% of female veterans were under age 50 . Among veterans who received supports from Veterans Affairs Canada, only 33.9% of women and 22.0% of men were under 50.

Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams

The H-PACT program was established in 2012 to provide a coordinated medical home specifically tailored to the needs of homeless Veterans. Interdisciplinary teams of doctors, nurses, and care managers respond to the ongoing and evolving medical, mental health, and substance abuse needs of homeless Veterans entering the VA system. The H-PACT care teams provide homeless Veterans with medical care, case management, and housing and social services assistance to help them obtain and stay in permanent housing, thereby reducing emergency department use and hospitalizations and improving chronic disease management.

Developing H-PACTsA 2010 Providence VA Medical Center study found that tailoring primary care to homeless Veterans decreased unnecessary emergency department use and hospital admissions, and also improved chronic disease management. The researchers compared homeless Veterans enrolled in a new population-tailored primary care clinic with a historical sample of patients. Those in the new program had greater improvements in hypertension, diabetes, and lipid control during the first six months. Hospital admissions were also significantly lower for patients in the program.

These and similar studies led to the development and implementation of the H-PACT program in VA.

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Age Gender & Race/ethnicity

Veterans experiencing homelessness in shelters tend to be single male adults, older than their non-veteran peers, more likely to have a disability, and are equally likely to be white non-Hispanic as they are to be a minorityiii. Among the sheltered homeless veteran population:

• 8.4% are between 18 and 30
• 45% are between 31 and 50
• 38.1% are between 51 and 61
• 8.9% are 62 or olderiv

• About 8% of sheltered homeless veterans are female, a number that has been increasing steadily since 2000v
• Among all homeless women in the 1996 NHSAPC, 1% were veterans as compared to 33% veterans among homeless men
• In a study of older homeless adults in Minnesota, 36% had served in the US military 44% of older homeless men had servedvi

• 49.2% are White, non-Hispanic/non-Latino
• 3.4% are American Indian or Alaska Native
• 5.1% are other racesvii

New York State Minority Veteran Needs Assessment Center For New American Security February 2020

Key points include:

• Veterans are members of American society and are affected by many of the same challenges that their nonveteran peers face. Military service can help overcome many, but not all, structural and institutional barriers that have a disproportionate impact on women and minorities.
• Black veterans experience unemployment at lower rates than black nonveterans but higher rates than white veterans, and women veterans have higher incomes than women nonveterans but lower incomes than men veterans.
• Traditional homeless shelters pose barriers to single mothers and LGBT veterans.

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Serious Mental Illness Traumatic Stress & Substance Use

• About 45% of homeless veterans experience mental illness
• 70% experience alcohol or other drug abuse problems
• Many experience bothx

As the number of female and male veterans1 returning from active duty grows, those who experience homelessness may suffer from combat-related trauma, military sexual trauma, and Traumatic Brain Injury in addition other traumatic stressors.

• Among veterans screened for TBI, over 80% had psychiatric diagnosesxi
• Compared to those who screened negative for TBI, those who screened positive2 also had PTSD three times more often and depression and substance use two times more oftenxii
• Data from 2007 show that one in five women veterans screened positive for Military Sexual Trauma, as compared to 1% of men veterans
• Among veterans who screened positive for Military Sexual Trauma, the likelihood of a mental health diagnosis was 2-3 times greaterxiii

The Leading Causes Of Veteran Homelessness

6.Social isolation and lack of support are major risk factors among US vets

Research has shown that these two factors greatly increase the risk of vets going homeless. In general, veterans have low marriage and high divorce rates 1 out of 5 live alone. Without proper social support after discharge, the risk of going homeless is extremely high among vets.

NCBI

7.Veterans at greater risk of homelessness than non-veterans

A joint study between Yale University and the VA Connecticut Health Care System in 2015 found that veterans have a higher risk of going homeless than non-veterans. This disparity has declined a bit over time.

8.Veteran statistics point to substance abuse as a major factor for homelessness

Many studies have pointed the blame to substance abuse as one of the leading causes of vets being homeless. Not only that but its also a strong predictor of future homelessness, so to speak substance abuse includes both alcohol and drug abuse.

Psychology Today

9. Mental illness is yet another leading cause of despair among homeless vets

A large-scale VA study on the mental health of vets from 2012 revealed that mental disorders are common among homeless veterans. The VAs IG noted that mental illness is also a strong predictor of a vet going homeless after discharge from active duty. PTSD has been identified as the leading mental disorder among US vets. Anxiety closely follows suit.

Brainline

10. Lack of affordable housing is another major problem

City Lab

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Women Veterans: The Journey Ahead Disabled American Veterans 2018

Women, now eligible to compete for assignment in all military occupational specialties and positions, are the fastest-growing subpopulation of the military and veteran communities. They comprise almost 20 percent of the active-duty armed forces, Reserve and National Guard and 10 percent of the total veteran population But the population of women in these communities is growing more rapidly than the systems we have in place to support them. This has created an environment in whichwhether intentional or notwomens service to the nation is often less recognized, less respected and less valued than their male counterparts It has led to a culture that, in many ways, continues to tell women they dont quite belong DAVs Women Veterans: The Journey Ahead follows our 2014 report Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home, giving credit for the work done and successes achieved while also spotlighting remaining needs and making recommendations for a road map forward

Key points include:

• Overall, women veterans are adequately employed and have higher incomes than comparable civilian women at all ages.
• Disabled women veterans and those in school still struggle with employment.
• State efforts to help military service members transfer experience, training and certificates to the private sector have helped all veterans find meaningful employment after service.

Pit Count Data Updates On Veteran Homelessness

On February 4, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the results of the 2021 Point-in-Time Count, the annual effort to estimate the number of Americans, including Veterans, without permanent housing.

The results showed that on a single night in January 2021, there were 19,750 Veterans experiencing sheltered homelessness in the U.S. This reflects a 10% decrease in the number of Veterans experiencing sheltered homelessness from 2020. This also represents the largest one-year decline since 2015 to 2016.

Other notable insights include that Veterans experiencing sheltered homelessness represented only eight percent of all sheltered adults experiencing homelessness in the United States and accounted for only 11 out of every 10,000 Veterans in the country.

Homelessness advocates have eagerly awaited these results, which would show the effects of the pandemic on homelessness. In addition to changing the way homeless services are delivered, COVID-19 also impacted the ability of communities to do their counts in January 2021.

HUDs 2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which documents the results of the PIT Count, provides national estimates on sheltered homelessness and findings on unsheltered homelessness from the communities that conducted unsheltered counts. So, while the report is an important snapshot into the state of sheltered homelessness, it does not provide a complete picture of homelessness in America.

Sheltered vs unsheltered homelessness

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