{"id":5836,"date":"2026-09-10T19:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T19:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=5836"},"modified":"2026-09-10T19:05:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T19:05:58","slug":"indianapolis-one-teams-2026-summer-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/indianapolis-one-teams-2026-summer-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Indianapolis One Team\u2019s 2026 Summer Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\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\">Innovative Practice<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"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-4fc3f8e1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indianapolis One Team\u2019s 2026 Summer Surge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color: #0073aa\" class=\"wp-block-create-block-colored-spacer has-0073-aa-background-color has-background\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program Manager, Homeless Programs Office<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>September 10, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/category\/innovative-practices\/\" rel=\"tag\">Innovative Practices<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"taxonomy-post_tag wp-block-post-terms\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/tag\/grant-and-per-diem\/\" rel=\"tag\">grant and per diem<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\"> <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/tag\/hud-vash\/\" rel=\"tag\">hud-vash<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\"> <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/tag\/ssvf\/\" rel=\"tag\">ssvf<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\"> <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/tag\/surge\/\" rel=\"tag\">surge<\/a><\/div>\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-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/09\/summersurge.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Park, people and volunteers checklist with tablet for support, community project\" class=\"wp-image-5837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/09\/summersurge.png 1200w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/09\/summersurge.png?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/09\/summersurge.png?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/09\/summersurge.png?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/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-4fc3f8e1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going into the summer of 2026, the homeless program team at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/indiana-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA Indiana Healthcare System<\/a> had a problem. Their facility had a <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/initiatives\/homelessness-goals-technical-specifications\/\">year-long goal<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/what-is-permanent-housing\/\">permanently house<\/a> 541 homeless Veterans by September 30, 2026, but was running about a month and a half behind the pace of how many Veterans should have been housed by the end of spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking for opportunities to accelerate progress and move more homeless Veterans to permanent housing, the VA Indiana team came up with a simple but effective strategy: do another surge!<\/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\"><strong>What are surges?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the last several years, VA health care systems all across the country have been hosting surge events\u2014time-limited activities where all of the homeless services providers in their community (e.g., VA and community partners) focus their efforts to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reach out to as many <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/what-is-unsheltered-homelessness\/\">unsheltered<\/a> Veterans as possible and move them to <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/what-is-interim-housing\/\">interim<\/a> or permanent housing, or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move as many sheltered and unsheltered Veterans as possible into permanent housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of VA\u2019s recent nationwide surge efforts included the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/141162\/getting-veterans-off-street-ending-homelessness\/\" rel=\"noopener\">2025 Getting Veterans Off the Streets<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/home-for-the-holidays-2025\/\">2025 Home for the Holidays<\/a> initiatives.<\/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\"><strong>Second verse, same as the first<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When reflecting on the success of their local Home for the Holidays surge, the team at VA Indiana realized that much of the goodwill, relationships, and infrastructure that came out of organizing the surge six months prior was still intact. That meant doing another surge in the summer would be pretty straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Helping Veterans And Families (HVAF) of Indiana, Inc.\u2014a local grantee of VA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/supportive-services-for-veteran-families\/\">Supportive Services for Veteran Families<\/a> (SSVF) and <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/grant-per-diem\/\">Grant and Per Diem<\/a> (GPD) programs\u2014would take the lead in organizing this summer surge with their Indianapolis <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/what-is-one-team\/\">One Team partners<\/a> (e.g., VA Indiana and the other SSVF and GPD grantees covering the area)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They changed their focus this time around by homing in on Veterans currently in GPD programs who were nearly ready to exit to permanent housing but could benefit from some extra TLC to get them moving on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually, these Veterans would eventually move into permanent housing on their own, and in their own time. But \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d also meant that any hiccups or barriers that these Veterans encountered would have to be addressed individually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Could a surge format, where a group of dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/what-is-one-team\/\">One Team partners<\/a> was laser-focused on supporting a cohort of Veterans in exiting to permanent housing, do it better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That answer was yes!<\/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\"><strong><strong>What a difference a week makes<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From July 25, 2026, to July 31, 2026, the Indiana One Team was able to move 16 homeless Veterans into permanent housing. An additional 4 Veterans moved to permanent housing the following week\u2014because some landlords preferred to start the lease on the first of the month\u2014for a total of 20 Veterans permanently housed during the surge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is five times more Veterans housed in a week than with \u201cbusiness as usual!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The benefits of this approach are clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For Veterans, it streamlined their permanent housing experience while making them feel like part of something special alongside other Veterans moving out.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the staff, the surge was another event that boosted morale while further enhancing coordination, making future events even easier!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Convinced of the benefits, the Indianapolis One Team plans to do these surges every three months.<\/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\"><strong><strong><strong>Practice considerations<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For other communities interested in adopting this approach, the Indianapolis One Team offers some considerations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Use the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/initiatives\/unsheltered-surge-toolkit\/\"><strong>surge toolkit<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>as it offers concrete guidance on how to implement surges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hold case conferencing and systems planning meetings <\/strong>before and during the surge to both troubleshoot Veteran barriers while also managing enrollments and process flows to the various One Team partner programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Make a plan <\/strong>for how to make use of the newly available GPD transitional housing beds that will open up now that many Veterans have moved out.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Honor Veterans&#8217; choices<\/strong>. There were actually two Veterans identified during the surge who were initially included in the cohort but did not feel ready to proceed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\"><strong><strong><strong>Got questions?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have questions about this practice, email <a href=\"mailto:HomelessVets@va.gov\">HomelessVets@va.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\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-4fc3f8e1 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\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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>One-week surge event helps move 20 homeless Veterans into permanent housing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":1806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[17,37,36,60],"class_list":["post-5836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-practices","tag-grant-and-per-diem","tag-hud-vash","tag-ssvf","tag-surge"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/indianapolis-one-teams-2026-summer-surge\/","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Indianapolis One Team\u2019s 2026 Summer 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