Homeless Veterans Committee Update March/April 2024

BY SANDY MILLER, CHAIR

HVC-1 – Homeless Veterans as a Special Needs Population: Though the VA has taken many steps, the committee continues to feel that all agencies providing funding for housing of any kind should focus on homeless veterans. We continue to urge the VA and the Interagency Council on Homelessness to require that all nonprofit organizations provide a veteran-specific accounting of all homeless people receiving veteran-specific services. This includes a review of all funding for applicable organizations and agencies.

HVC-10–Continued Funding for Special Needs Grants Under the Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Grants & Per Diem Funding Program: We recommend that VA special needs grants not have a sunset date, but instead, receive funding on a continual basis, the same as the grant and per diem programs. As these special needs grants must currently be renewed every year, the organizations that receive them are put under undue stress that may take away from their missions. Giving these special needs grants the ability to operate on the same level as per diem grants ensures that more time, effort, and energy is available to agencies operating under these grants.

HVC-13-Support for the Missing in America Project: The committee would like to acknowledge chapters and state councils that support this project, as it ensures that all veterans whose remains and cremains are unclaimed are provided with dignified burials.

HVC-15-VA Homeless Grant and Per Diem Funding: The committee continues to urge the VA to provide funding on an equal and time-sensitive payment schedule for the services provided to all eligible homeless veterans. Continued monitoring of these payments must be practiced. The additional need for Per Diem Service Center grants is imperative in achieving the overall goal of eliminating veteran homelessness throughout the country.

The Homeless Veterans Committee: Sandy Miller, Chair; Dr. Tom Hall, Vice Chair. Members: Kate O’Hare Palmer, Fred Gasior, William Patton, Liz Cannon, Jerry Blume, and John McGinty; AVVA Members: Sharon Hobbs, Joanne Blume, Lori Patton, and Tony Gigli.

---

---

---