Beyond choice: How listening shapes VA’s approach to homelessness
Making housing and support easier to choose
We recently explored a common misconception about the homeless: That homelessness is a choice. While Veterans always have the right to decide whether to accept help, focusing on that question can distract from what matters most.
VA’s mission is to reduce and ultimately end Veteran homelessness. That mission doesn’t change because a Veteran declines services. Instead, it challenges VA and its community partners to keep asking an important question: How can we better meet Veterans where they are?
Some Veterans may hesitate to accept help because of previous negative experiences with institutions or a loss of trust in systems that didn’t meet their needs in the past. Others may have concerns about eligibility, privacy or what accepting services will mean for their independence. Understanding these concerns is an important part of making housing and support more accessible.
When our nation asks men and women to serve in environments that expose them to trauma, instability and risk, we also have a responsibility to ensure they have the support they need when they return home. That means continually improving the way services are delivered so that they are easier to access, more responsive to Veterans’ needs and more likely to help Veterans take the next step toward stable housing.
Listening leads to better solutions
VA doesn’t expect Veterans experiencing homelessness to adapt to the system. Instead, the system must continue adapting to the needs of the Veterans it serves.
Every conversation with a Veteran provides an opportunity to improve. Through the annual CHALENG survey, outreach efforts and feedback shared with frontline staff, Veterans continue to shape how homelessness programs and resources evolve.
That feedback has already influenced services across VA and communities across the country. Veterans have consistently identified the importance of legal assistance, dental care, low-barrier Safe Haven programs and Grant and Per Diem (GPD) transitional housing. Those insights have helped strengthen the services available to Veterans experiencing homelessness and ensure programs better reflect Veterans’ needs.
Compassion leads to innovation
Removing barriers is equally important. Making services easier to access, simplifying enrollment and offering a range of housing and support options gives Veterans meaningful choices and makes it easier for them to choose to accept help when they’re ready.
VA’s Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program is one example. GPD offers several transitional housing models, including Clinical Treatment, Hospital-to-Housing, Bridge Housing, Service-Intensive Transitional Housing and Transition-in-Place. These models give communities different ways to provide housing and supportive services based on Veterans’ needs.
Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Contract Residential Services (CRS) also offers Medical Respite programs for Veterans who need short-term residential care while recovering from an illness, injury or other medical condition. By expanding the types of housing and support available, VA and its community partners can create more pathways for Veterans to move from homelessness toward stable housing.
This kind of innovation doesn’t have to happen within VA alone. Local organizations, housing providers, healthcare systems and other community partners play an important role in identifying barriers and developing practical solutions that work for homeless Veterans in their communities.
A mission worth pursuing
Ending Veteran homelessness requires persistence. It means continually asking what’s working, what’s not and where barriers still exist.
If Veterans aren’t choosing VA or community services, it’s our responsibility to understand why, remove barriers and continue improving how we serve them. Every adjustment, every new partnership and every conversation with a Veteran brings us closer to ensuring more Veterans have access to the housing and support they’ve earned.
Veterans, please continue sharing your experiences through the annual CHALENG survey and conversations with your local VA staff. Your feedback helps VA and local community partners better understand Veterans’ needs and identify opportunities to improve the resources and services available to homeless Veterans in communities across the country. If you or a Veteran you know is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness and ready for support, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.
Community partners and frontline employees should also continue asking questions, listening carefully and sharing what they learn with program leaders to help improve how support is delivered.
The path forward is clear: Listen to Veterans, learn from their experiences, and adapt and tailor services to better meet their needs. By doing so, VA and its partners can help more Veterans access safe, stable housing and the support they deserve.
Learn about VA programs
If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans Justice Outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.
Learn more about one Veteran’s journey from homelessness to Employee of the Year.
Learn about the Seven Essential Elements to End Veteran Homelessness.
Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
Get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
