What Services Does VA Provide to Homeless and At-Risk Veterans?

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

February 17, 2026

VA homeless programs actively engage Veterans with a full complement of wraparound services, while leveraging VA’s integrated health care system, to address the whole person.

That’s why when Veterans enroll in VA homeless programs, we do everything we can to make sure they access all of the treatment, health care, and benefits they’re entitled to under the law.

We provide:

• Prevention services such as Supportive Services for Veteran Families that keep Veterans from becoming homeless. 
• Outreach services such as Health Care for Homeless Veterans and the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans are the front doors to both VA homeless programs and the broader VA health care system.
• Residential services such as the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Contracted Residential Services or Grant and Per Diem programs provide temporary placement, in the form of emergency or transitional housing, for Veterans who need a place to stay right now.
• Permanent housing services such as the Supportive Services for Veteran Families and HUD-VA Supportive Housing, or HUD-VASH, programs connect Veterans to affordable housing in their communities. These services come with either short or long-term rental subsidies, case management, and varying levels of wrap-around supportive services to ensure that Veterans have all the necessary resources to stay housed.
• VA also has programs to assist Veterans in the criminal justice system with accessing VA services, help Veterans gain meaningful employment, or take care of their health needs through primary care tailored to the unique access barriers that Veterans experiencing homelessness face.