Integrated data drives better care for homeless Veterans

By Ken Mueller, MBA, LCSW, Operations Liaison, Business Intelligence, VHA Homeless Programs Office

June 10, 2026

Behind every VA homeless programs social worker, nurse or peer is an integrated data system designed to do one thing: help VA teams effectively deliver the care and support that homeless Veterans deserve—when and where it’s needed—at every point in their journey toward securing housing and stability.

In the past, data used by VA’s Homeless Programs was siloed across different systems. A Veteran’s health history might have been securely stored in one place, while details about their housing situation might have been located elsewhere. That separation meant that frontline teams didn’t always have a complete picture or understanding of a Veteran’s unique situation.

Today, VA is leveraging new technology to overcome those limitations. VA maintains the most robust homelessness-related data in the country, and that information is even more powerful when it’s brought together and combined through technology. By connecting multiple data sources, local VA homeless teams can better identify individual Veterans who need help, where they are and what resources—whether it’s a housing voucher or a medical appointment—they need most.