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Improving the HUD-VASH homeless program at barrier busting boot camps

If two heads are better than one, why not try hundreds? This simple idea is why we decided to invite staff and partners who work with the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program to a series of brainstorming boot camps nationwide regarding Veteran homelessness to put the idea to the test.

The boot camps aimed to take the already successful HUD-VASH program to the next level to help even more Veterans find a place to call home more quickly and efficiently.

“The people we have the honor of serving need us as advocates,” said Sally Hammitt from the Greater Los Angeles VA. “When we can engage and interact around that Veteran in support of that Veteran, some pretty magical things can happen.”

Get an inside look at how the boot camps and the ideas that came from them will benefit homeless Veterans in a new behind-the-scenes video.

HUD-VASH provides vital support

HUD-VASH—a unique partnership between HUD, VA, and public housing agencies (PHAs) around the country—has been critical in the fight to end Veteran homelessness, which has been slashed by more than half since 2010.

Working with more than 750 local PHAs, HUD provides affordable housing vouchers for Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness while VA offers support to the Veterans who need to get housed and stay housed. This includes counseling, health care, employment assistance, substance use treatment and more.

It’s the largest permanent supportive housing program in the nation, with more than 82,000 Veterans housed using HUD-VASH vouchers at the end of 2023.

How to set Veterans up for success

While the program is effective, processes can get a little unwieldy when two large government agencies and hundreds of PHAs are involved.

“These boot camps help us get out of our own way,” said Sally Hammitt. “We want the Veteran to succeed because we’ve had these conversations together.”

The 11 boot camps, held over the course of seven months, gave HUD-VASH staff and partners a chance to talk about what’s working, what’s not working, and how we can improve voucher utilization to house more Veterans.

Attendees homed in on recommendations to develop flexibilities and increase efficiencies in the paperwork that Veterans must complete to be eligible, support them through the application process and continue that support to maintain their housing.

Rhonda Staton, supervisory social worker at Palo Alto VA, went into the boot camps thinking her system didn’t have much to improve. But sitting down with other HUD-VASH staff who handle things in a completely different way, she was shocked to learn otherwise: “It’s hard to conceptualize how your partnership compares and if it’s creative or innovative at all until you talk to other people.”

The work ahead

We’ve already started to hear from communities that the lessons learned from the Boot Camps are making a difference. Veterans are getting help faster and staff are finding it just a bit easier to connect them to the safe housing that Veterans deserve.

But we’re not done. At VA, we’re working with our partners at HUD to evaluate local improvement plans, collate Boot Camp themes and provide targeted technical assistance to make sure this valuable resource is used to its fullest.

Learn about VA programs 

If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).

Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness. 

Learn more about the HUD-VASH program.

Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about Veteran homelessness. 

Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.

Subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 

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