{"id":1210,"date":"2024-07-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=1210"},"modified":"2026-03-12T19:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T19:07:12","slug":"make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran\/","title":{"rendered":"Make a Difference, Hire a Veteran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull va-page-title-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-179 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/academic-affiliations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2025\/05\/Hero2.png?w=1024\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#085795\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide has-text-align-left\">Featured Article<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"va-body-wrapper wp-block-create-block-body-wrapper va-body-wrapper wp-block-create-block-body-wrapper\"><div class=\"va-body-wrapper__inner\">\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<form role=\"search\" method=\"get\" action=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/\" class=\"wp-block-search__button-outside wp-block-search__text-button wp-block-search\"    ><label class=\"wp-block-search__label\" for=\"wp-block-search__input-1\" >Search Articles<\/label><div class=\"wp-block-search__inside-wrapper\" ><input class=\"wp-block-search__input\" id=\"wp-block-search__input-1\" placeholder=\"\" value=\"\" type=\"search\" name=\"s\" required \/><button aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"wp-block-search__button wp-element-button\" type=\"submit\" >Search<\/button><\/div><\/form>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide va-intro-page va-intro-page-1 is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make a Difference, Hire a Veteran<\/h2>\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color: #0073aa;\" class=\"wp-block-create-block-colored-spacer has-0073-aa-background-color has-background wp-block-create-block-colored-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><strong><strong>By Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program Manager; Dr. Carma Heitzmann, National Director for Homeless Veterans Community Employment Services; and Peter McCoy, Special Assignment for the VA Homeless Programs Office<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>July 15, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wp-container-content-c00f5982\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"832\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg\" alt=\"a woman in a denim shirt shaking hands in an office building\" class=\"wp-image-1211\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg?resize=300,195 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg?resize=768,499 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg?resize=1024,666 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide va-intro-page va-intro-page-1 is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>Finding a job can make all the difference when it comes to helping Veterans climb out of homelessness, or even avoid it completely. Stable employment doesn\u2019t just bring a steady income to pay for housing costs, but also the kinds of social connection and personal fulfillment that can combat the isolation of homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In recognition of National Hire a Veteran Day on July 25, we invite you to consider the difference you can make in someone\u2019s life by hiring a Veteran experiencing or at risk of homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wp-container-content-c00f5982\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The importance of employment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Though the Veteran unemployment rate has been steadily dropping over the last decade\u2014falling to 2.9% in June 2024, according to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/vets\/latest-numbers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. Department of Labor<\/a>\u2014Veterans who are homeless are more likely to be unemployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding a job can give homeless Veterans a new chance at financial stability and expedite their reintegration into their community. Studies show that&nbsp;gainful employment&nbsp;at a livable wage helps maintain economic stability and reduces the risk of becoming homeless. Employment is also likely to reduce substance use, improve mental health, and lower the risk of suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recognizing that employment is a critical component to combatting Veteran homelessness, we\u2019ve created the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/employment\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"49\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Homeless Veterans Community Employment Services (HVCES) program<\/a>&nbsp;to connect homeless Veterans with jobs. HVCES community employment coordinators are available at nearly all VA medical centers to serve as a bridge between Veterans, community employment resources, and employers ready to hire Veterans exiting homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wp-container-content-1ac3d91d\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The benefits of hiring Veterans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in 2017 by Dan Caporale, Marine Corps Veteran and founder of the national nonprofit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hiring Our Heroes<\/a>, National Hire a Veteran Day is set aside to raise awareness of civilian employment for transitioning service members and Veterans. It reminds employers to consider that Veterans have the skills and training to make ideal candidates for numerous open positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During their military service, Veterans acquire skills like leadership, work ethic, teamwork, tenacity, and dedication, all of which can serve them well in civilian employment. Military occupational specialties, like logistics, communications, and administration, also often translate directly into civilian jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Veterans have been trained to work in fast-paced environments and are skilled at working as part of a team with people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wp-container-content-1ac3d91d\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hire a Veteran today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At VA, we believe that even one Veteran experiencing homelessness is one too many. We\u2019re committed to helping all Veterans find a safe place to sleep and gain the means to stay there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re ready to hire a Veteran facing homelessness, connect with your local&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/employment\/community-employment-coordinator-contact-list\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"464\">community employment coordinator<\/a>. They can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pre-screen Veterans with a variety of skill sets and from all educational levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Refer job-ready Veteran candidates who are ready to work from day one for open positions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help facilitate hiring and onboarding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"va-body-wrapper wp-block-create-block-body-wrapper\"><div class=\"va-body-wrapper__inner\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group va-section-title va-section-title-1 is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cf370e7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact VA for help<\/h2>\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color: #005EA2;\" class=\"wp-block-create-block-colored-spacer has-ff-5500-background-color has-background wp-block-create-block-colored-spacer\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, we strongly encourage you to contact the <strong>National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at <a href=\"tel:+18774243838\">877-424-3838<\/a><\/strong> for assistance.<br><br>The call is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trained professionals are standing by to connect you to your nearest VA for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-blue-icon-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/homeless\/nationalcallcenter.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Chat with a live professional now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/homeless\/nationalcallcenter.asp\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1385\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/NCCHV-Logo-02-Large.png\" alt=\"National Call Center for Homeless Veterans logo. 877-424-3838\" class=\"wp-image-5628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/NCCHV-Logo-02-Large.png 1385w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/NCCHV-Logo-02-Large.png?resize=300,130 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/NCCHV-Logo-02-Large.png?resize=768,333 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/NCCHV-Logo-02-Large.png?resize=1024,444 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1385px) 100vw, 1385px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finding a job can make all the difference when it comes to helping Veterans climb out of homelessness, or even avoid it completely. Stable employment doesn\u2019t just bring a steady income to pay for housing costs, but also the kinds of social connection and personal fulfillment that can combat the isolation of homelessness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":1211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-articles","tag-employment"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Make a Difference, Hire a Veteran","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/02\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg"},"articleSection":"Featured Articles","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shawn Liu"}],"creator":["Shawn Liu"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA Homeless Programs","logo":""},"keywords":["employment"],"dateCreated":"2024-07-15T08:00:00Z","datePublished":"2024-07-15T08:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T19:07:12Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Make a Difference, Hire a Veteran\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/homeless\\\/make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/homeless\\\/make-a-difference-hire-a-veteran\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/homeless\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/72\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/homeless\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/72\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20240615_hire-veteran.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Featured Articles\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Shawn Liu\"}],\"creator\":[\"Shawn Liu\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"VA Homeless Programs\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"employment\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2024-07-15T08:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-15T08:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-12T19:07:12Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/department.va.gov\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1210"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3554,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions\/3554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}