Combatting Veteran Homelessness – Behind Friendly Lines

In the winter of 2022, Nathan Hansley and his girlfriend were evicted from their Denver apartment. That night, they slept outside in single-digit temperatures near the Colorado state Capitol, commencing a four-year journey of homelessness for the U.S. Army Veteran.

“I’ve never been homeless before…I didn’t know what to do…I just broke down,” Hansley shared recently. “I just didn’t ask anybody at the time for help.”

But then he met Lauren Lapinski, a social worker at VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, who listened to his story, identified barriers he was facing, and began connecting him with resources like food, clothing, housing, and the benefits he earned as a 19 Kilo (armor crewman / tank gunner) during his time in service.

This type of VA support is happening in Denver – and across the country – for our Veterans. But that’s not necessarily the case for the rest of the population.

Each year during the last week in January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducts a Point-in-Time count – an annual snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing and unsheltered settings.

Across the United States, more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024, an 18% increase from 2023. However, homelessness among Veterans in the U.S. dropped to the lowest number on record: 32,882, a nearly 8% decrease from the year prior.

VA’s Homeless Programs Office serves as the backbone of the federal response to end Veteran homelessness. Their Veteran-centered services empower Veterans and enable their independence, assisting Veterans and their families in securing permanent and sustainable housing with access to high-quality health care and supportive services.

Their new One Team Approach draws on the lessons, best practices, and successes from the last 15 years to help communities improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their homelessness services. This integrated approach means more Veterans will find stable, permanent homes and fewer Veterans will experience homelessness.

The result? Since 2010, the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has declined by more than 55% — a record low. Beyond that, since 2015, a total of 85 communities and 3 states (Connecticut, Delaware, and Virginia) have achieved effective ends to Veteran homelessness.

In Denver, Lapinski and her community partners are also working to reach “functional zero” for Veteran homelessness, a milestone that indicates fewer Veterans are experiencing homelessness than are routinely exiting homelessness at any given time.

According to Community Solutions, a nonprofit that tracks homelessness, since 2015, 13 communities have achieved functional zero for Veteran homelessness:

Abilene, Texas (2018)

Arlington County, Virginia (2015)

Bergen County, New Jersey (2017)

Chattanooga, Tennessee (2019)

Crater Region, Virginia (2021)

Douglas County (Denver metro), Colorado (2024)

Fremont County, Colorado (2021)

Gulf Coast Region, Mississippi (2015)

Lake County, Illinois (2018)

Lynchburg Region, Virginia (2020)

Montgomery County, Maryland (2015)

Norman/Cleveland County, Oklahoma (2017)

Rockford/Winnebago County/Boone County, Illinois (2015)

No Veteran should be homeless in the country they swore an oath to defend. VA is committed to ending homelessness among Veterans because it’s our nation’s duty to ensure all Veterans have a place to call home.

We can all contribute to ending Veteran homelessness. Here are a few ways you can help:

If you know (or are) a Veteran who is homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 for assistance. You can talk with trained counselors  24/7, who can talk with you right now and connect you with your nearest VA for help.

If you’re a landlord or housing provider, consider housing partnerships to provide Veterans with access to affordable housing options (https://www.va.gov/homeless/landlords.asp).

If you’re a business owner, work with VA to provide veterans exiting homelessness with opportunities to obtain a stable job and steady income by working with the local Community Employment Coordinator (https://www.va.gov/homeless/cec-contacts.asp).

And to everyone else, add the call center’s number to your phone – 877-424-3838 – and use it if you know of Veterans experiencing homelessness. For more information on helping Veterans experiencing homelessness, visit www.va.gov/homeless.

Despite the progress lauded above, one Veteran experiencing homelessness is one too many. The fight to end homelessness among Veterans is certainly not over and together we must make sure every Veteran has a safe place to call home.

Thanks for allowing me to walk alongside you behind friendly lines.

Victory!

Jason T. Strickland, Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army Retired), is the chief communications officer at the VA Rocky Mountain Network Email: [email protected].