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Jennifer HoSenior Adviser on Housing and ServicesOffice of the Secretary
FY 14-15: Agency Priority Goal
End Veterans homelessness
Priority Goal
Goal Overview
This goal represents HUD’s effort to reduce homelessness among Veterans. Veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population; while only 9.3 percent of the U.S. adult population has Veteran status, Veterans represented approximately 11.3 percent of homeless adults at a given point in time in 2014. On a single night in January 2014, there were 49,933 Veterans reported as experiencing homelessness. Veterans experiencing homelessness often face the same issues that lead others into homelessness, including a lack of affordable housing and inadequate income and savings. Service men and women returning from active duty may also have specific challenges, such as lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, which can make it more difficult for them to find and maintain adequate employment and, consequently, to pay for housing.
Effectively transitioning Veterans experiencing homelessness to permanent housing requires access to healthcare, employment, and benefits. Because Veterans have greater medical and mental health needs than non-Veterans, healthcare and its associated benefits play a significant role in achieving and maintaining stability in permanent housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Employment and VA benefits are critical in providing Veterans the income required to support housing and other daily living expenses.
HUD and VA continue to implement proven systems of service delivery to end Veteran homelessness, especially among those experiencing chronic homelessness, such as the Housing First approach. Housing First offers individuals and families experiencing homelessness immediate access to permanent affordable or supportive housing. Reducing clinical and economic barriers, Housing First yields higher housing retention rates, lower returns to homelessness, and significant reductions in the use of crisis service and institutions.
Strategies
HUD’s strategies to end Veterans homelessness vary according to the time and extent of homelessness and eligibility for VA services.
For Veterans experiencing chronic homelessness who are eligible for VA services, HUD-VASH vouchers, jointly administered by HUD and VA, offer the most appropriate resources, as they couple intensive services with permanent housing.
For Veterans experiencing non-chronic homelessness who are eligible for VA services, VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program offers prevention and rapid re-housing solutions to both keep Veterans in housing and quickly move short-term homeless Veterans back into permanent housing.
For Veterans experiencing homelessness who are ineligible for VA health services, HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grant and Continuum of Care programs are the appropriate vehicles to offer services and housing packages needed to move Veterans ineligible for VA health services off the street and out of shelters and transitional housing.
Other strategies include:
- Continue to advance Housing First models
- Collaborate across HUD, VA and USICH to align programs and efforts
- Continue to build place-based initiatives that align local, regional, state, and federal efforts to end Veterans homelessness
- Determine method of tracking exits from non-permanent HUD funded programs into permanent housing
- Explore and implement systems changes for converting transitional housing programs to Permanent Supportive Housing or Rapid Re-housing (contingent on legislative authority)
- Improve the methodology and reporting of the PIT data, primarily focused on PIT Counts to acquire timely reliable, and detailed data regarding the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness
- Assist Veterans with other-than-honorable discharge status, ineligible for HUD-VASH, connect to mainstream and CoC resources for housing and services.
Progress Update
In FY 2015, HUD is taking aggressive actions to target resources to Veterans experiencing homelessness and support communities as we all work to end Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. This includes maximum utilization and timely deployments of all HUD-VASH awards, which combines HCV rental assistance to Veterans with case management and clinical services provided by VA. HUD-VASH is one form of permanent housing that HUD and VA are directing to Veterans, along with SSVF program and VA residential treatment programs as a conduit to permanent housing. Through the end of FY 2015, these programs have helped 64,902 Veterans secure permanent housing, greatly surpassing the annual target of 49,000 Veterans served.
In the agency’s work toward the goal of ending homelessness among Veterans, HUD achieved the following notable milestones in FY 2015:
- Tribal HUD-VASH: In December 2014, Congress passed the FY 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which for the first time set aside a portion of HUD-VASH funds for a pilot designed to provide housing and supportive services to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness living on tribal reservations. HUD and VA designated $4 million for this new effort and worked with Department of Indian Health Services as well as national and regional Native American leaders, associations, and communities to design the program. Awards are expected by December 2015.
- FY 2014 CoC Program Competition: On January 26, 2015 HUD awarded $1.8 billion in grants to help nearly 8,400 local homeless housing and service programs across the US. The 2014 competition continues HUD’s efforts to target resources, including permanent housing for Veterans, especially those not served by HUD-VASH. These grants went into operation throughout CY 2015 and serve as a crucial resource for the funding of evidence-based interventions to end homelessness.
- FY 2015 HUD-VASH Awards: On April 20, 2015, HUD and VA awarded nearly $65 million to help more than 9,300 homeless Veterans find a permanent place to call home. This allocation brought the total number of HUD-VASH vouchers up to 79,122. By the end of FY 2015, 69,038 of those vouchers were in use by Veterans residing in or in the process of obtaining permanent supportive housing.
- 2015 Local Victories: On January 7, 2015, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced that the City of New Orleans had eliminated homelessness among Veterans. The city worked to connect 227 Veterans with permanent housing and created a local homeless crisis response system that identifies Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness and quickly connects them to the permanent housing solution they need and have earned. On June 1, 2015, Secretary Castro, VA Secretary McDonald and Labor Secretary Perez joined Mayor Annise Parker to announce that the City of Houston effectively ended homelessness among their Veterans. These leaders joined homeless assistance providers, clinical workers, and supporters from across the community at a rally celebrating the creation of Houston’s system that ensures that every Veteran who needs assistance will be quickly linked to the supportive services and permanent housing.
- Mayor’s Challenge: Announced in 2014 by First Lady Michelle Obama and amplified by leaders across HUD, VA, USICH, and by the National League of Cities, the Mayor’s Challenge is a call to action for mayors to make a commitment to ending Veteran homelessness in their cities by the close of 2015. At time of publication, 850 mayors, governors, and county executives have joined the challenge, including mayors from every one of the 25 USICH priority communities
Total Veterans living on the streets, experiencing homelessness (key measure): This metric is measured by the annual Point-in-Time Count, a count of persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in January each year.
|
FY11 Actual |
FY12 Actual |
FY13 Actual |
FY14 Actual |
FY14 Target |
FY15 Target |
|
25,436 |
20,710 |
17,575 |
16,220 |
4,000 |
0 |
Total homeless Veterans temporarily living in shelters or transitional housing (key measure): This metric will be measured by the annual Point-in-Time Count, a count of persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in January each year.
|
FY11 Actual |
FY12 Actual |
FY13 Actual |
FY14 Actual |
FY14 Target |
FY15 Target |
|
35,143 |
34,909 |
32,048 | 31,505 |
23,500 |
12,500 |
Next Steps
No Data Available
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Performance Indicators
Total homeless Veterans temporarily living in shelters or transitional housing
Total Veterans living on the streets, experiencing homelessness
Veterans placed in permanent housing
Homeless Veterans served with transitional housing through Continuum of Care resources
Homeless Veterans served with permanent supportive housing through Continuum of Care resources
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
The HUD programs contributing to the achievement of this goal include:
- HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program
- Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing
- Continuum of Care Transitional Housing
- Emergency Solutions Grant Program
Contributing programs or partners outside the agency: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH); Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Department of Labor (DOL); Department of Defense (DOD) and a host of other federal agency partners.
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Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Use Housing as a Platform to Improve Quality of Life
Statement:
Use Housing as a Platform to Improve Quality of Life
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
End homelessness for veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families, youth, and children.
Description:
HUD’s annual “Point-in-Time” estimates measure the scope of homelessness on a single night in January of each year. Based on data reported by more than 3,000 cities and counties, the January 2013 one-night estimate reveals a 24-percent drop in homelessness among veterans and a 16-percent reduction among individuals experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness since 2010. HUD’s estimate also found the largest decline in the number of persons in families experiencing homelessness since the Department began measuring homelessness in a standard manner in 2005. Overall, a total of 610,042 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night in January 2013.
Homelessness among unaccompanied youth is a hidden problem, which HUD and its partners are taking steps to solve. Some subpopulations of youth are at particularly high risk for homelessness, including youth aging out of foster care and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
In 2010, the Obama Administration released Opening Doors*, the first ever comprehensive federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. The goals of the plan are to prevent and end veterans’ and chronic homelessness by 2015, to prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children by 2020, and to set a path to ending all types of homelessness. HUD remains committed to the goals of Opening Doors, but to reach them the pace of current efforts must accelerate. Over the next 5 years, HUD will work with its partners to deploy the solutions that we know are effective for the right persons, such as rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing. These tools must be informed by a Housing First approach, whereby preconditions and barriers to housing entry are removed and people move into housing as quickly as possible.
*United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (June 2010).
Statement:
Promote advancements in economic prosperity for residents of HUD-assisted housing.
Description:
Residents of HUD-assisted housing often face challenges such as lack of employable skills and low educational attainment levels that limit their ability to become economically self-sufficient and rise out of poverty. The Department recognizes that, while some families and individuals will need assistance for longer periods, others are capable, with assistance, of rising out of poverty. A majority of adults receiving rental assistance who are able to work have some income from wages; however, they are most often in the lowest paying jobs. Further, increasing workplace demands for technical expertise require attention to education and training for both adults and youth, including digital literacy. HUD will utilize its housing platform to expand access to employment and educational services. HUD seeks to significantly increase the economic opportunities available to low-income residents in neighborhoods where it invests, particularly through the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program and Section 3.
Statement:
Promote the health and housing stability of vulnerable populations.
Description:
Many residents of HUD-assisted housing face health-related challenges, especially elderly people, people with disabilities, homeless people, and those individuals and families at risk of becoming homeless. New studies of the health status of HUD residents show that they have higher rates of chronic health conditions and higher utilization of hospitals and emergency rooms than peer comparison groups. Some may have a criminal record, a history of homelessness, be making the transition out of military service back into civilian life, or be transitioning out of healthcare treatment settings.
In 2013, one out of every six Americans did not have health insurance. Hardworking families in HUD housing may not get insurance from their employers, and they may not make enough money to afford a plan for their family. Without health insurance, families risk forgoing necessary preventive care or facing economic catastrophe from a major illness.
In January 2014, many more affordable insurance options became available through the new health insurance marketplaces, including, in those states that have opted in, an expansion of Medicaid. When residents of HUD-assisted housing also have health insurance, they gain an additional stepping stone to better health and financial security. This makes for healthier, stronger households and communities.
The Affordable Care Act can help as many as 40 million currently uninsured Americans find greater peace of mind and financial stability that will help them work toward their own goals and dreams. Access to health insurance is important, but so too is access to health care. As the healthcare system develops new tools to provide better care at a lower cost, new partnerships are needed between housing and the healthcare system.
Additionally, work led by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and HHS related to enforcement of and compliance with the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision reinforces the rights of individuals with disabilities to live, work, and receive services in the greater community in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. As a result of Olmstead, there is a significant need for affordable, integrated housing opportunities where individuals with disabilities are able to live and interact with individuals without disabilities. Achieving this goal requires an increase in the supply of integrated housing options so that individuals have meaningful choice in where they live, including housing without services and supportive housing with access to voluntary services.
HUD also helps protect the health of residents of assisted multifamily and public housing from both direct and environmental (that is, second- and third-hand) tobacco smoke exposure by encouraging owners of assisted housing and PHAs to issue and implement smoke-free policies and by providing outreach and technical support. The Department will enhance those efforts to help reduce the extent of this public health problem among residents of its housing portfolio.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
In partnership, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) aim to reduce the number of Veterans living on the streets, experiencing homelessness to zero (as measured by the 2016 Point-in-Time count).
Description:
This goal represents HUD’s effort to reduce homelessness among Veterans. Veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population; while only 9.3 percent of the U.S. adult population has Veteran status, Veterans represented approximately 11.3 percent of homeless adults at a given point in time in 2014. On a single night in January 2014, there were 49,933 Veterans reported as experiencing homelessness. Veterans experiencing homelessness often face the same issues that lead others into homelessness, including a lack of affordable housing and inadequate income and savings. Service men and women returning from active duty may also have specific challenges, such as lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, which can make it more difficult for them to find and maintain adequate employment and, consequently, to pay for housing.
Effectively transitioning Veterans experiencing homelessness to permanent housing requires access to healthcare, employment, and benefits. Because Veterans have greater medical and mental health needs than non-Veterans, healthcare and its associated benefits play a significant role in achieving and maintaining stability in permanent housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Employment and VA benefits are critical in providing Veterans the income required to support housing and other daily living expenses.
HUD and VA continue to implement proven systems of service delivery to end Veteran homelessness, especially among those experiencing chronic homelessness, such as the Housing First approach. Housing First offers individuals and families experiencing homelessness immediate access to permanent affordable or supportive housing. Reducing clinical and economic barriers, Housing First yields higher housing retention rates, lower returns to homelessness, and significant reductions in the use of crisis service and institutions.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective:
Statement:
End homelessness for veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families, youth, and children.
Description:
HUD’s annual “Point-in-Time” estimates measure the scope of homelessness on a single night in January of each year. Based on data reported by more than 3,000 cities and counties, the January 2013 one-night estimate reveals a 24-percent drop in homelessness among veterans and a 16-percent reduction among individuals experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness since 2010. HUD’s estimate also found the largest decline in the number of persons in families experiencing homelessness since the Department began measuring homelessness in a standard manner in 2005. Overall, a total of 610,042 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night in January 2013.
Homelessness among unaccompanied youth is a hidden problem, which HUD and its partners are taking steps to solve. Some subpopulations of youth are at particularly high risk for homelessness, including youth aging out of foster care and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
In 2010, the Obama Administration released Opening Doors*, the first ever comprehensive federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. The goals of the plan are to prevent and end veterans’ and chronic homelessness by 2015, to prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children by 2020, and to set a path to ending all types of homelessness. HUD remains committed to the goals of Opening Doors, but to reach them the pace of current efforts must accelerate. Over the next 5 years, HUD will work with its partners to deploy the solutions that we know are effective for the right persons, such as rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing. These tools must be informed by a Housing First approach, whereby preconditions and barriers to housing entry are removed and people move into housing as quickly as possible.
*United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (June 2010).
Agency Priority Goals
Statement: In partnership, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) aim to reduce the number of Veterans living on the streets, experiencing homelessness to zero (as measured by the 2016 Point-in-Time count).
Description: This goal represents HUD’s effort to reduce homelessness among Veterans. Veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population; while only 9.3 percent of the U.S. adult population has Veteran status, Veterans represented approximately 11.3 percent of homeless adults at a given point in time in 2014. On a single night in January 2014, there were 49,933 Veterans reported as experiencing homelessness. Veterans experiencing homelessness often face the same issues that lead others into homelessness, including a lack of affordable housing and inadequate income and savings. Service men and women returning from active duty may also have specific challenges, such as lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, which can make it more difficult for them to find and maintain adequate employment and, consequently, to pay for housing. Effectively transitioning Veterans experiencing homelessness to permanent housing requires access to healthcare, employment, and benefits. Because Veterans have greater medical and mental health needs than non-Veterans, healthcare and its associated benefits play a significant role in achieving and maintaining stability in permanent housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Employment and VA benefits are critical in providing Veterans the income required to support housing and other daily living expenses. HUD and VA continue to implement proven systems of service delivery to end Veteran homelessness, especially among those experiencing chronic homelessness, such as the Housing First approach. Housing First offers individuals and families experiencing homelessness immediate access to permanent affordable or supportive housing. Reducing clinical and economic barriers, Housing First yields higher housing retention rates, lower returns to homelessness, and significant reductions in the use of crisis service and institutions.
