Office of Research & Development |
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VA researchers are studying how Veterans access and use homeless assistance services like rapid rehousing programs. (Photo for illustrative purposes only. ©iStock/ljubaphoto)
VA researchers analyzed the records of over 61,000 homeless Veterans to find out which homeless assistance programs they used, how often they accessed services, and for what length of time. The team identified five different Veteran usage profiles that, they say, can inform future research into VA homeless assistance programs.
In a research brief published by the VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Drs. Jack Tsai and Thomas Byrne analyzed data on homeless Veterans collected during the period 2015-2017. The investigators culled data from the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System, the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, and VA electronic medical records—available through the VA Corporate Data Warehouse.
Their intent was to evaluate how homeless Veterans in the study population were using VA homeless assistance programs. For the study, the researchers examined patterns of homeless program usage—breaking down the two-year study period into 24 discrete blocks of time. They assessed Veteran participation in the following VA homeless programs:
The majority—or 59 percent—of Veterans fell within the Brief Program profile. These Veterans typically made a one-time use of VA homeless programs, and their stays were relatively brief.
The Permanent Supported Housing Plus profile accounted for 21.4 percent of the study participants. Veterans in this group made long-term use of the HUD-VASH program, and often made use of a second VA housing program during the same month.
The Heavy Multiple Program Use profile accounted for only 3.4 percent of the cohort. Veterans in this group made heavy use of multiple VA homeless programs over the entire two years of the study.
The Transitional Housing Use profile made up 6.4 percent of study participants. Veterans in this group made heavy use of the GPD program.
The Rapid Rehousing Program Use profile accounted for 9.7 percent of study participants. This group was made up of Veterans who primarily used the SSVF rapid re-housing program for an extended period of time.
Following a shift in U.S. policy in 2009, VA created the SSVF program—one that emphasized homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing efforts. VA now operates a continuum of homeless assistance programs, recognizing that homeless Veterans have diverse needs that may include more than just temporary housing assistance.
In 2018, HUD reported that the number of homeless Veterans had decreased by 5.4 percent during the past year. Since 2010, that represents nearly a 50 percent decline in homeless Veterans. Officials said in a VA press release that they attribute that decline, in large part, to "the effectiveness of the HUD-VASH program, which combines permanent HUD rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by the VA."
