The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a range of policy changes that will expand access to housing for the nation’s homeless veteran population.
The joint HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program will no longer consider a veteran’s service-connected disability benefits during the process of determining income for the purposes of housing eligibility, according to an Aug. 8 announcement from the department.
The policy change makes it so that a veteran’s VA benefits for their service-connected disability do not factor into the income calculations during the process of applying for housing through the Supportive Housing program.
“The days of a veteran having to choose between getting the VA benefits they deserve and the housing support they need are finally over,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “This is a critical step forward that will help Veterans nationwide — and bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal of putting an end to Veteran homelessness for good.”
The collaborative program between Housing and Urban Development and the Veterans Affairs seeks to help homeless veterans and their families find permanent housing, as well as improve access to health care and mental health resources that have been difficult to come by in the past.
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Prior to the policy change, VA disability benefits were listed as an individual’s income when homeless veterans applied to gain access to supportive housing developments. If a veteran’s listed income exceeded a fixed number, the applicant would not qualify as eligible for housing support.
“No veteran should ever have to experience homelessness, but when they do, they should not face barriers to getting help they deserve,” HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman said in the announcement. “This policy change will ensure that veterans who are receiving the disability benefits they earned through service and sacrifice can access the housing assistance and supportive services they need to resolve their homelessness.”
While the number of homeless veterans on the national level has remained relatively consistent, the total number of unhoused veterans has gradually decreased in recent years.
In 2007, more than 73,000 veterans were listed as homeless, according to government data. That number, as of last year, had been lowered to half that total.
“Every veteran deserves a roof over their head, and the Biden-Harris Administration is doing everything we possibly can to end veteran homelessness,” White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden said in the press release. “Today’s actions reflect President Biden and Vice President Harris’s commitment to breaking down barriers to housing so that every veteran gets the benefits they have earned.”
Riley Ceder is an editorial fellow at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice and human interest stories. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the ongoing Abused by the Badge investigation.
