Increasing support for homeless veterans
Source: DAV
Posted on NOVEMBER 11, 2021
BY MATT SAINTSING
The number of veterans experiencing homelessness saw an uptick last year, according to an annual report released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in March. Now, DAV has thrown strong support behind several pieces of draft legislation aimed squarely at reducing the number of unhoused veterans.
The report’s data was collected in January 2020, mere months before businesses nationwide were shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19. On a single night that month, about 40,000 veterans were found to be homeless. Since then, many Americans have been experiencing financial burdens, reduced resources and housing instability due to the pandemic, and veterans are not immune.
The reported increase in 2020 comes after a decade of slashing the homeless rates of veterans. From 2010 to 2019, the number of veterans reporting unstable housing decreased by more than 50%. Despite drastic reductions over the past 10 years, veteran homelessness remains overrepresented at about 8% of all homeless adults, despite just 6% of the U.S. population having served.
DAV is a nonprofit charity that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans in positive, life-changing ways each year. Annually, the organization provides more than 240,000 rides to veterans attending medical appointments and assists veterans with well over 160,000 benefit claims. In 2020, DAV helped veterans receive more than $23 billion in earned benefits. DAV’s services are offered at no cost to all generations of veterans, their families and survivors.
