{"id":5097,"date":"2026-06-29T18:20:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T18:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=5097"},"modified":"2026-07-21T18:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:34:41","slug":"from-the-revolution-to-today-addressing-veteran-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-revolution-to-today-addressing-veteran-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Revolution to today: Addressing Veteran homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

New on VA News<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

From the Revolution to today: Addressing Veteran homelessness<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n

By Katie Rories, Historian, VHA; Jack Tsai, Ph.D., Research Director, VHA Homeless Programs Office; and Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program Manager, VHA Homeless Programs Office <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 29, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

How history shaped our nation\u2019s approach to caring for Veterans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Elizabethan Poor Law, also known as the Poor Relief Act of 1601, served as the foundation for how poverty and homelessness were addressed in the American colonies. It established two forms of relief: \u201coutdoor relief\u201d (financial aid, clothing and food for those unable to work) and \u201cindoor relief\u201d (almshouses, orphanages and workhouses for those who could work but were unemployed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These early forms of relief established a precedent for providing structured support to those in need and would later influence how assistance was tailored to returning service members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
View the full article on VA News<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How history shaped our nation\u2019s approach to caring for Veterans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":5101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[87],"class_list":["post-5097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-va-news","tag-history"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-revolution-to-today-addressing-veteran-homelessness\/","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"From the Revolution to today: Addressing Veteran homelessness","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-revolution-to-today-addressing-veteran-homelessness\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-revolution-to-today-addressing-veteran-homelessness\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/06\/revtotoday2.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/06\/revtotoday2.png"},"articleSection":"VA News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shawn Liu"}],"creator":["Shawn Liu"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA Homeless Programs","logo":""},"keywords":["history"],"dateCreated":"2026-06-29T18:20:27Z","datePublished":"2026-06-29T18:20:27Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T18:34:41Z"},"rendered":"