Benefits & Services » Housing
Experiencing/At Risk of Homelessness
Select a topic below to view information.
open all | close all
VA National Hotline Call Center for Homeless Veterans (1-877-424-3838/1-877-4AID VET)
The Veterans Administration free and confidential national hotline call center is intended to give homeless veterans or veterans at risk of homelessness 24/7 access to trained counselors. It also provides assistance to homeless veterans' families, federal, state and local partners, community agencies, service providers, and others in the community.
Call ahead before traveling! Shelters and transitional housing may be full and/or have waiting lists.
BEFORE traveling to a location for emergency shelter (usually overnight) or transitional housing (up to a 2-year stay), verify with the hotline staff that the organization you are referred to serves women and families if you have a child or children with you. Ask for the contact information for the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Coordinator and their Women Veterans Program Manager so you can contact them during their business hours for more assistance. Be sure to tell the organization providing shelter or housing that you are a military service veteran. Some shelters and housing agencies have reserved beds or other housing accommodations for veterans, but not always for female veterans.
Explore www.va.gov/homeless to learn more about VA programs for veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
External Website: VA National Hotline Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Housing Assistance: Rent, Vouchers, Utilities, and Other Wraparound Services
There are federal, state, and community housing programs that assist women veterans and veterans with families to secure housing. If you meet the basic eligibility requirements, providers may be abe to offer direct services and financial assistance to help search for housing, provide a housing voucher, assist with initial rent costs, and pay for certain bills related to back rent or utilities.
Some of these programs also connect veterans to other services like employment, education, and health care
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
VA Information for Women Veterans At Risk of or Experiencing Homelessness
VA Supportive Services for Veterans and Veterans Families (SSVF): (Who offers wraparound services?)
FY2017 SSVF Service Providers for State SSVF Contact Information
Grant and Per Diem Program: (Who offers housing support?)
FY2015 GPD Transition in Place and Per Diem Only Grantee Award Roster (New awardee list out late Oct 2017)
FY2017 Special Needs Grants Service Providers for Women Veterans, Seniors, and the Mentally Ill
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Homeless Veteran Stand Downs/Operation Reveille Events
If you are a veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness (unstably housed to include "couch surfing" with family and/or friends, living in cars, shelters, and/or on the streets, etc.) or know someone who is, contact the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs and ask for their homeless coordinator.
Additionally, visit this site for the dates and locations of homeless veteran stand downs and Operation Reveille events.
What exactly are these activities?
From the Department of Veterans Affairs website:
Stand Downs are typically one- to three-day events providing supplies and services to homeless Veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling. They are collaborative events, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers.
Operation Reveille events aim to provide Veterans with the housing and wraparound services they need to successfully exit homelessness—in just one day. To share more about this groundbreaking collaborative effort, VA recently hosted a webinar with community partners. Operation Reveille events bring together government agencies, faith-based organizations, housing providers, nonprofit agencies, and local businesses to connect homeless Veterans with permanent supportive housing; intensive case management; benefits eligibility screening; and employment, legal assistance, and mental health services. Since 2014, annual Operation Reveille events held in Tampa, Florida, have placed more than 100 Veterans in permanent supportive housing over the initiative's three years.
External Website: Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Services
HUDVet Housing Resources & Assistance for Veterans & Service Providers (Department of Housing & Urban Development/HUD)
The Department of Housing (HUD) posts housing information about affordable housing, homeless resources, and contacts for local public housing agencies for veterans and veteran service providers on their HUDVet portal pages. HUDVet also facilitates collaboration among federal agencies and veteran-serving organizations.
Veteran Information
Homeless Veteran Information
Resources for Homeless Veterans
Homeless Veteran Service Provider Information
Resources for Homeless Veteran Service Providers
Contact
Other Resources
Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Veterans Services and Programs
External Website: Housing and Urban Development
Transitional Housing for Women Veterans With & Without Children Experiencing Homelessness
Transitional housing for women veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness is available in a few locations across the nation. Some assist women veterans with children. This housing list is a perpetual work in progress...locations will be added when discovered. Each program specifies the services offered and their eligibility criteria.
Call ahead before traveling to verify transitional housing eligibility and vacancies. Some may also have waiting lists.
Nationwide
Resource Directory: Women Veterans Housing
Arizona
California
North Hollywood Apartments for Homeless Veterans & Families
Connecticut
Female Soldiers: Forgotton Heroes
D.C. Metro Area
Florida
Ben Singleton Veterans Program in Jacksonville
Lake City Veterans’ Program (Cabins in the Woods)
Tallahassee Veterans’ Village
Tampa Veterans’ Program
Georgia
Kentucky
Maine
Cabin in the Woods (21 cabins for veterans and their families)
Volunteers of America Arthur B. Huot House (Respite care for veterans directly transferred from hospitals, emergency rooms, and inpatient care settings)
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Aura Home for Women Veterans (Under development/Fundraising)
Women Veterans Support Services, Inc.
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Veterans Leadership Program/ Project Journey
Texas
Rutherford House of Peace and the H.O.P.E. Institute
Utah
Washington
Others' passion is the key to many women veterans and their families getting back on track to achieving lifelong self-sufficiency and experiencing joy and pride in their lives. Not all transitional housing receives federal funding. Most projects depend on donations and gifting.
Explore www.va.gov/homeless to learn more about VA programs for veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Transitional Housing, Women's Shelters, Treatment Centers & Other Assistance
Websites offering information about women's shelters including homeless, domestic violence, and family shelters, residential treatment centers, transitional housing, supportive services, and other assistance resources are listed below. For the most part, these are not housing or services dedicated solely to women veterans. Understanding there are few dedicated women veteran's programs, these alternatives may provide a safer setting for women with and without children until permanent housing is established or they may be able to make referrals on your behalf.
Call ahead before traveling to verify shelter and transitional housing eligibility and vacancies. Some may also have waiting lists.
This site was launched in 2017. It will always be a work in progress, with housing opportunities posted for women veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The site is updated with other opportunities when identified by the site manager or others who visit the site and forward information for the site manager to review and add once validated.
Women's Shelters: A Nationwide Directory of Shelters for Women
"Women's Shelters" lists emergency, domestic violence, and family shelters as well as transitional housing. This site is not associated with any government agency or nonprofit organization. This website s a collaboration of individuals who want to help those in need find resources on the web.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
This site offers a directory of housing and other services that can be searched by state or territory.
The "Homeless Shelter Directory" provides information on homeless shelters as well as homeless service organizations, including all resources necessary to help the needy. The directory was created for people who want to find and donate food and/or supplies to their local shelter.
This site has thousands of transitional housing shelters in their database. New housing is added as it is identified.
National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH)
NCH provides a "Directory of Member and Advocacy Programs" as well as other resources.
Volunteers of America (Housing & Supportive Services)
Volunteers of America (VOA) offers housing alternatives for women veterans in a number of states. To find out if they have housing and/or supportive services in a particular area, go to their site and search by zip code. Available veteran housing may not be reflected in state search results, so a call to their national office is recommended.
Contact
Phone: 1-703-341-5000
Address: 1660 Duke Street Alexandria VA 22314
External Website: Volunteers of America
Employment: Veteran and Employer Services (Department of Labor)
In addition to housing, employment is often a priority. The Department of Labor (DOL) offers employment services for veterans.
Additionally, DOL sponsors the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) to assist states and employers to promote reintegration of homeless veterans into meaningful employment within their work forces. HVRP was initially authorized under Section 738 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in July 1987. It is currently authorized under Title 38 U.S.C. Section 2021, as added by Section 5 of Public Law 107-95, the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001.
Veteran Information
"Workforce Services in Your Neighborhood" Locator Directory
Veterans Employment & Training Service
Employer/Service Provider Information
DOL VETS State Office Locator Directory
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP)
Homeless Female Veterans/ Veterans with Familes Program (HFV/VWF)
Other Employment Information
Visit the "WomenVetsUSA Employment" pages.
External Website: Department of Labor Women Veterans Information
Resources: Community Service Provider Information
A few federal agencies provide communities and service providers with information to assist with veterans experiencing homelessness.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Housing & Wraparound Services Grant & Acquired Property Purchase Programs
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
State Homeless Program Contacts & Data Resource Map
Community Guide: Identifying and Referring Veterans Experiencing Homelessness
Assisting Veterans Experiencing Homelessness Through VA or Non-VA Programs
WomenVetsUSA