Veteran Homelessness Policy: Funding, Strategy & Outcomes
This paper examines U.S. federal policy addressing veteran homelessness, tracing the significant progress made under the Obama Administration — including a 47% reduction in veteran homelessness by 2016 — through coordinated efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development. It discusses the HUD-VASH voucher program, the role of the Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the demographic characteristics of at-risk veterans. The paper also evaluates proposed changes under the Trump Administration, particularly budget shifts and the potential elimination of the Interagency Council, assessing how those changes might affect ongoing efforts to address a persistent and complex social problem.
- Current Policy: Obama-era VA and HUD coordinated homelessness reduction strategy
- Current Policy Objectives: Obama targets vs. Trump budget proposals and risks
- Population Served: Demographics and eligibility of at-risk veteran population
- Funding Levels and Future Outlook: Adequacy of funding and risks of council elimination
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds policy analysis in specific, quantifiable outcomes — such as the 47% reduction in veteran homelessness and the 56% reduction in street homelessness — giving the argument concrete evidence rather than vague assertions.
- Draws on a range of sources including government agency publications, peer-reviewed research, and news reporting, demonstrating appropriate cross-referencing for a policy analysis paper.
- Connects demographic data (race, age, mental health, substance abuse) directly to policy design, showing how evidence-based approaches differ from ideologically driven ones.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper consistently applies a comparative policy analysis framework, contrasting the Obama Administration's evidence-based, multi-agency coordination strategy with the Trump Administration's proposed budget changes. This technique helps readers understand how changes in coordination structures — not just dollar amounts — can determine program effectiveness.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into four sections: an overview of existing policy mechanisms and their results; an evaluation of policy objectives and their status under two administrations; a description of the target population; and an assessment of funding adequacy and risk. This structure moves logically from "what exists" to "who it serves" to "whether it is sufficiently supported."
Current Policy
The Obama Administration pledged to end veteran homelessness — an ambitious goal given the many complex reasons why people become homeless. Nevertheless, meaningful progress was made toward that objective. The White House announced in 2016 that it had cut veteran homelessness by 47% since 2010 (Zoroya, 2016). The number of veterans living on the street was reduced by 56% during the 2010–2016 period. This progress resulted from a number of coordinated approaches that illustrate how policy is developed and applied in this area.
The effort to end veteran homelessness was the product of coordinated work between two federal departments: the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The VA identifies three core components of its plan: conducting outreach to identify veterans in need; connecting homeless and at-risk veterans with housing solutions; and collaborating with government agencies, employers, housing providers, and nonprofits to expand employment and affordable housing options for veterans (VA, 2017). The fundamental logic of these pillars is that the VA functions as a coordinating body, with strengths in its ability to identify at-risk and homeless veterans through its service programs and its extensive connections with partner organizations.
Several demographic and behavioral factors shape the strategies employed. Homeless veterans are disproportionately African American or Hispanic, younger veterans are more likely to experience homelessness, and many suffer from mental illness and substance abuse (NCHV, 2017). Part of the historical problem was that policy was not guided by evidence. The Obama Administration achieved significant gains in part by grounding decisions in research. In the 1990s, for example, Congress cut funding for veterans with substance abuse issues despite evidence showing no correlation between disability payments and substance abuse (Frisman & Rosenheck, 1997) — an example of policy driven by bias rather than data, and one that disproportionately harmed minority veterans.
Collaboration with other agencies is a valuable component of Obama-era policy, given the strong connections between veteran homelessness and mental health and substance abuse issues. Those factors were significant predictors of homelessness and admission to care programs for homeless veterans in a 1995 survey (Wenzel et al., 1995). In other words, meaningful gains in reducing veteran homelessness were achieved by addressing the underlying factors — primarily mental illness and substance abuse — that are known contributors to the problem. It can further be posited that minority veterans are more vulnerable to homelessness when they come from lower socioeconomic starting positions; white veterans may experience similar struggles, but greater economic stability may help them retain housing.
HUD works with the VA through the VA Supportive Housing (VASH) program, also known as HUD-VASH. This program provides vouchers that deliver rent assistance in private housing for veterans who are eligible for VA health services and are experiencing homelessness. The plan includes both grant and per diem components. The VA works with more than 600 agencies that place homeless veterans, and these agencies have access to 14,500 eligible beds that can serve as temporary housing until a permanent placement is found. A variety of smaller programs also contribute to the overall strategy of identifying veterans in need and connecting them with stable housing.
Current Policy Objectives
The Obama Administration set a goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015. That target was not met, though the gains achieved were significant. The Trump Administration did not establish a specific target for reducing veteran homelessness, and its policy proposals sent mixed signals. The Department of Veterans Affairs was slated for a 6% budget increase in the Trump administration's proposed budget, but the majority of that increase was earmarked for health services (Rein, 2017). Health services are, however, one area where increased investment can reduce vulnerability among veterans. At the same time, other proposals — such as the elimination of the Interagency Council on Homelessness — threatened to undermine progress, particularly given the high proportion of homeless individuals who are veterans (McDermott, 2017).
The mixed signals regarding funding indicated either a strategic shift or an absence of strategy altogether. Without clearly stated targets, it was assumed that personnel at the VA and HUD would continue pursuing their existing approaches within whatever budgetary constraints or surpluses they encountered. The Interagency Council on Homelessness is responsible for coordinating the efforts of 19 different federal agencies addressing various components of the homelessness problem. Without that coordination, efforts to combat veteran homelessness would become far less organized and therefore less effective. Among its functions, the Council gathers information about what is working in various regions and communicates best practices to state and local governments (McDermott, 2017).
References
Frisman, L. & Rosenheck, R. (1997). The relationship of public support payments to substance abuse among homeless veterans with mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 48(6), 792–795.
McDermott, J. (2017). Trump's budget proposal could hurt homeless veterans. Boston Globe. Retrieved April 23, 2017 from https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/03/28/trump-budget-proposal-could-hurt-homeless-veterans/EN7m9CCynt9kVhQxpxPpSN/story.html
NCHV (2017). Background and statistics. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Retrieved April 23, 2017 from
Rein, L. (2017). Veterans Affairs budget is in line to grow by 6%. Washington Post. Retrieved April 23, 2017 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/veterans-affairs-budget-is-in-line-to-grow-by-6-percent/2017/03/15/5d3bfd0a-09bd-11e7-b77c-0047d15a24e0_story.html
VA (2017). Homeless veterans. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved April 23, 2017 from https://www.va.gov/homeless/
Wenzel, S., Bakhtair, L., Caskey, N., Hardie, E., Redford, C., Sadler, N., & Gelberg, L. (1995). Homeless veterans' utilization of medical, psychiatric and substance abuse services. Medical Care, 33(11), 1132–1144.
Zoroya, G. (2016). Despite vow to end veteran homelessness, Obama administration halfway there. USA Today. Retrieved April 23, 2017 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/08/01/despite-vow-end-veteran-homelessness-obama-administation-halfway-there/87913000/
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