The safest place for homeless Veterans? VA housing programs

How VA’s “Getting Veterans Off the Streets” initiative helped support unsheltered Veterans

The safest, healthiest place for homeless Veterans is within VA’s housing programs and supportive services.

That is the message and mission of the “Getting Veterans Off the Streets” outreach events that took place across the nation earlier this summer.

“VA recognizes how important it is to go beyond traditional ways of outreach to meet the needs of our unsheltered Veterans as effectively as possible,” said Lisa Lincoln, a VA Homeless outreach coordinator.

First-of-its-kind national action

Between May and September 2025, every VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the United States participated in this first-of-its-kind national outreach surge, with each VAMC hosting events to locate and provide homeless Veterans with same-day housing. The goal of “Getting Veterans Off the Streets” events was to help VA provide at least 20,000 Veterans nationwide with a path to self-sustainment and hope in fiscal year 2025. To achieve this, VA and its outreach teams adopted a rapid response model to locate, place and enroll homeless Veterans in VA programs, and then track and transition them into permanent housing. They continued to support these Veterans by providing them with comprehensive health care and vocational services to sustain their progress.

The Wilmington VAMC is just one of the many VAMCs that took part in this nationwide initiative to prevent Veteran homelessness.

At the Franklin Street Clinic in Washington, D.C., a DJ kept the music and energy flowing as 37 unsheltered Veterans had breakfast and coffee and met with community partners for same-day housing and health care assistance.

Milwaukee VA Community Resource and Referral Center hosted three “Getting Veterans Off the Streets” events, successfully engaging 27 unsheltered Veterans and providing them with pathways to long-term housing and critical health care services.

On July 30, VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System deployed eight teams into local communities to identify and assist homeless Veterans. In addition to housing and VA benefits, several community providers were present to support sheltered and unsheltered Veterans. The event successfully engaged with 42 unsheltered Veterans.

At the end of fiscal year 2025, VA’s “Getting Veterans Off the Streets” initiative has helped 25,605 unsheltered Veterans move into interim or permanent housing—surpassing its goal of 20,000 by 25.3%

Life-changing resources

As of January 2024, VA reported that there were 32,882 Veterans experiencing homelessness across the United States. This figure reflects a 7.5% decrease from the previous year and marks the lowest level of Veteran homelessness since national tracking began in 2009. VA attributes this progress to coordinated efforts across federal and local agencies, housing-first strategies and targeted outreach events like “Getting Veterans Off the Streets.”

While the work is far from over, VA and its partners are committed to providing every unhoused Veteran with the home and benefits they deserve, while demonstrating that these long-term policy and programmatic interventions are the most effective way to end Veteran homelessness.

See how more events around the country delivered life-changing services to homeless Veterans:

Learn more about VA programs 

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.

Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.