What is Permanent Housing?

By Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program Manager, Homeless Programs Office

January 30, 2026

The term “permanent housing” is commonly used when talking about services for homeless and at-risk Veterans.

It’s not a Veteran’s “forever home.” Instead, permanent housing describes places such as apartments or houses that Veterans could rent or own, often with financial subsidies to help make the housing affordable. Permanent housing also includes situations where Veterans are reunited with family and friends.

Importantly, when a Veteran moves to permanent housing, their experience of homelessness ends. They’re no longer homeless.

What permanent housing programs does VA provide to Veterans?

Although all of VA’s homeless programs support Veterans in obtaining permanent housing in one way or another, there are two programs that get the most attention:

• Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing, or HUD-VASH
• Supportive Services for Veteran Families, or SSVF

What is HUD-VASH?

HUD-VASH is a collaborative program between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA that combines HUD’s housing vouchers with VA supportive services to help Veterans who are homeless and their families find and sustain permanent housing.

How it works
Through public housing authorities, HUD provides rental assistance vouchers for privately owned housing to Veterans who are experiencing homelessness. VA case managers may connect these Veterans with support services such as health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling to help them in their recovery process and with their ability to maintain housing in the community. Among VA homeless continuum of care programs, HUD-VASH enrolls the largest number and largest percentage of Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness.

What is SSVF?

SSVF provides case management and supportive services to very low-income Veterans to prevent the imminent loss of a Veteran’s home or identify a new, more suitable housing situation for the individual and his or her family; or to rapidly re-house Veterans and their families who are homeless and might remain homeless without this assistance.

How it works
Through referrals and direct outreach, nonprofit agencies and community cooperatives use SSVF funding to quickly house Veterans and their families who are homeless and keep others from slipping into homelessness by providing time-limited supportive services that promote housing stability. Case management includes help securing VA and other benefits such as educational aid and financial planning.

How do Veterans get connected to these programs?

The fastest way for Veterans to connect to these programs is to call our National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. This service is free, confidential, and is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors who can talk with them right now and connect them with their nearest VA for assistance.

If phone calls are difficult, you can also use our Call Center’s live online chat.