Did you know?

VA has three housing programs for Veterans facing homelessness

SSVF, HUD-VASH, and Grant and Per Diem. They are not the same program and they are not interchangeable. Here is which one fits which situation.

VA Homeless Programs on VA.gov
Veterans Crisis Line — dial 988, then press 1. Text 838255. Chat at veteranscrisisline.net. TTY 711 then 988, or 1-800-799-4889. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.
The one number to start with. National Call Center for Homeless Veterans — 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838). That is VA's own line, free, and it is how you reach a person who can put you into these programs. You can also contact the homeless program coordinator at your nearest VA medical center. Put the number in your phone now, before you need it.
What this page is. I explain the three programs so you can tell which one fits you or your Family member. I have a separate page on getting help tonight. This one is the programs themselves. Two things nobody tells people: you do not need a service-connected disability rating to use VA homeless programs, and you do not apply to your local housing authority for HUD-VASH — you come in through VA.
Program 1

SSVF — Supportive Services for Veteran Families

Keeps you in the housing you have, or gets you back into housing fast.

Who it is for. Very low-income Veteran households — income at or below 50% of the area median income for where you live (38 U.S.C. 2044; 38 CFR 62.2) — who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. "Area median income" is the middle household income for your county or metro area; the program staff look it up for you, you do not have to calculate it.

What it provides. Temporary financial help with rent, utilities and deposits; case management; help searching for housing; and connection to employment and to your other VA benefits. It is run by community organizations using VA funding.

Know the limits before you budget. Under 38 CFR Part 62, that temporary financial assistance is capped: rental and utility-fee help runs up to 10 months in a 2-year period; a security deposit and a utility deposit, once each per 2-year period; moving costs, once per 3-year period. It is a bridge, not an ongoing subsidy. Plan for what happens in month eleven.
★ Best if you still have a door to keep.
Program 2

HUD-VASH — the housing voucher program

Permanent housing plus a VA case manager who stays with you.

What it is. A partnership between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA. HUD brings the rent voucher, VA brings the case management and the health care.

Who it is for. Veterans experiencing homelessness who need ongoing, intensive case management — for example because of chronic health conditions or other complex challenges that make it harder to find and keep housing. Do not talk yourself out of this one. VA's own HUD-VASH page does not limit the program to people who have been homeless for years. If you are homeless and you need someone walking alongside you, ask.

What it provides. A permanent housing choice voucher, long-term rental assistance, intensive VA case management, and health care and mental health support.

How you get in matters. HUD-VASH is entered through VA — call 1-877-424-3838 or the homeless program coordinator at your VA medical center. Do not start by applying to the public housing authority. VA refers you; the housing authority issues the voucher after that.
★ Best for permanent housing with support.
Program 3

GPD — Grant and Per Diem

Transitional housing while you get set for a permanent place.

What it is. VA-funded transitional housing operated by community-based nonprofit organizations and public entities — including counties, cities, townships, local authorities, and tribal governments (38 CFR 61.1). Do not rule out a county-run or tribe-run program because you assumed only charities do this.

Who it is for. Veterans experiencing homelessness who need temporary housing and supportive services. It fits best when you are preparing to move into permanent housing.

What it provides. Transitional supportive housing and case management. Beyond that, services vary by GPD grantee and housing model — GPD funds several different kinds of housing run by different organizations. Ask the specific program what it actually offers.

On cost: costs and any resident fee vary by GPD grantee and housing model. Ask the specific program. I am not going to print a number that I cannot stand behind for every site.
★ Best as a bridge, not a destination.
Side by side

Which one fits

  SSVF HUD-VASH Grant and Per Diem
Housing it leads to Permanent housing — keeps you in it, or gets you back into it Permanent housing, using a housing choice voucher you rent with in the community Transitional housing at a community program
Money help Yes — temporary help with rent, utilities, deposits, within the limits above Yes — long-term rental assistance through the voucher Ask the program. Costs and any resident fee vary by grantee and housing model
How long the support lasts Short-term case management Long-term, intensive VA case management, plus health care and mental health support Temporary, while you are in the program
Who runs it Community organizations, VA funded HUD and VA together Community nonprofits and public entities, VA funded
★ One call sorts this out — 1-877-424-3838.
Older and disabled Veterans

The program most people cannot name

Ask for it by name: the Homeless Aging and Disabled Veterans Initiative — HADVI.

HADVI is a joint effort between HUD-VASH and VA Geriatrics and Extended Care. It pairs home and community care with specialized and project-based HUD-VASH vouchers. If you do not have the name, you or your caseworker cannot ask for it — so here it is. VA's page: Homeless Aging and Disabled Veterans Initiative.

Alongside it, VA services an older Veteran may need: geriatric health care, Long-Term Care services, Community Residential Care, Adult Day Health Care, Homemaker and Home Health Aide services, Caregiver Support, and homeless outreach tailored to older Veterans.

Community Residential Care is not free housing. Veterans pay rent from VA compensation, VA pension, Social Security, or other income. VA provides the health oversight, not the room and board. A Veteran with no income cannot enter Community Residential Care on those terms — so if that is you, say so on the call and ask about HUD-VASH or GPD instead.
The geriatric and long-term care services are not automatic. They require enrollment in VA health care, a VA determination that the service is needed, and local availability. VA's own words on long-term care: "You may still need to pay a copay for some covered services." Read it yourself: VA long-term care.
★ Say "HADVI" out loud on the call.
Read this before you count yourself out

Discharge status, and what you do not need

You do not need a service-connected disability rating. None of these three programs asks for one. People assume a rating is required and never make the call. Make the call.

Discharge status, straight. VA's own FAQ says some Veterans with dishonorable discharges cannot use VA homeless programs. That is not the end of the road, and here is why:

  • VA's Continuum of Care partners — the local homeless-services network — must serve you anyway. Ask the call center to connect you to the Continuum of Care in your area.
  • A discharge upgrade may restore your eligibility. If your discharge is the thing standing between you and housing, that is a fight worth having.
  • VA's Legal Services for Veterans program exists partly for problems like this one.

VA's own answers: VA homeless programs FAQs.

★ A closed door is not every door.
How to start

The front door, and what else to ask for

  1. Call 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838), the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans — or contact the homeless program coordinator at your nearest VA medical center.
  2. Ask for Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV). VA describes HCHV as the front door to its homeless programs. That is the phrase that gets you assessed and routed.
  3. Say plainly what your situation is — housed and about to lose it, already out, in a vehicle, in a shelter. Which program fits depends on that answer.

Housing is not the only thing you are owed. Ask about these too:

  • Legal Services for Veterans — for evictions, fines, discharge and benefit problems
  • HVCES — Homeless Veteran Community Employment Services
  • HPACT — primary care built for Veterans experiencing homelessness
  • Homeless Veterans Dental Program
  • Veterans Justice Programs — if you have contact with the courts or jail

All of it starts here: VA Homeless Programs.

★ One call. Ask for HCHV.
Where to read it in VA's own words. SSVF · HUD-VASH · Grant and Per Diem · National Call Center for Homeless Veterans · HUD on vouchers for Veterans. I bring the truth, simple and to the point. Where I could not confirm a figure, I left it off this page rather than have you plan your month around it.