News Releases – Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

VA partnership helps secure permanent housing for more than 4,000 formerly homeless Veterans

Oct. 30, 2020, 10:37:00 AM

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today their partnership with Veterans Matter has helped more than 4,000 Veterans exit homelessness and move into permanent housing since 2012.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA’s Supportive Housing program, known as HUD-VASH, works with Veterans Matter to help Veterans experiencing homelessness and who qualify for rental subsidies to cover the cost of security deposits.

“Collaborations with organizations like Veterans Matter is fundamental to achieving our goal of ending homelessness among Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “We celebrate  the more than 4,000 Veterans that have stable housing as a result of selfless acts of kindness by people who believe every Veteran deserves a place to call home.”

From 2012 to 2016, the partnership helped to house 1,000 Veterans and has since assisted 3,000 additional Veterans, an increase of 200% during the past four years. Veterans who receive this financial assistance are able to move into approved housing quickly, often because Veterans Matter is able to provide the security deposits to the landlord within 24-48 hours.

Veterans Matter is a program of the non-profit organization 1Matters.org. Established in 2012, the program removes financial obstacles to securing stable housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

“As a nation, we have an obligation to help Veterans who fall on hard times,” said Ken Leslie, who founded Veterans Matter and once was homeless. “Our partnership with VA demonstrates how the public and private sectors can unite to help Veterans exit homelessness and reintegrate back into their families and communities.”

The HUD-VASH program is a collaboration between HUD and VA that combines HUD housing vouchers with VA supportive services such as employment assistance, health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling. The program enrolls more Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness than any other federal program.

Learn how to get involved in helping prevent and end Veteran homelessness and about VA’s homeless programs.

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