VA Homeless Programs
Message from Monica Diaz, Executive Director, VHA Homeless Programs Office
March 2022
About 1 mile from VA’s Central Office, our Washington, D.C. colleagues may have noticed a new kind of tourist in the Capitol this month. The cohort is not visiting the National Mall to learn about history, but rather to make history. As the largest assembly of women statues ever, these 3-D printed sculptures honor the monumental contributions of 120 real-world American women in STEM.
Installed to honor Women’s History Month as part of the Smithsonian’s Women’s Futures Month, these statues are not just unique due to their vibrant orange color—they also remind us that only about 400 (less than 10%) of historical sculptures in our nation honor women. Yet throughout our country’s history, women have been on the front lines of each challenge and triumph, including as part of our military. Their successes may not be carved in stone at the same rate as their male counterparts, but we need not look far to learn about their heroic service to this country.
Every day, I see incredible additions to women’s history, both by the colleagues I have the privilege of working alongside and by the Veterans we have the pleasure of serving. Stories from Veterans like the many women leaders featured in the 75 Years at VHA series are living tributes that the work we are doing matters, and the strength of our women Veterans is unparalleled.
Such successes are the latest in a long tradition of excellence among women at VA, where many discoveries, programs, and innovative care solutions were first proposed by women—including VHA Social Work. A Red Cross Volunteer in World War I, Irene Grant continued serving Veterans throughout some of our nation’s most challenging times as the first director of VHA Social Work. Grant was foundational in establishing the values and partnerships that still guide us today as the largest employer of social workers in the nation.
Witnessing HPO’s team of talented social workers firsthand, I can attest that social workers are not only great clinicians but they are also teachers, administrators, leaders, advocates, crisis interventionists, program planners, and managers—often all before breakfast! Just as our Veterans volunteered to serve on the front lines to defend our nation, social workers serve on the front lines of any domestic challenge or problem threatening the livelihoods of Americans. Among the Veterans we serve, there is a unanimous consensus: the help of a social worker makes all the difference.
To truly end Veteran homelessness, we must ensure that our social workers, and all VHA Homeless Programs staff, have the most effective tools at their disposal. During the pandemic, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, or “Section 4201,” has been essential in allowing VHA Homeless Programs to address Veterans’ most urgent needs. Similarly, VA’s Grant and Per Diem Program (GPD), one of the oldest tools in our toolkit, is instrumental in supporting the work of our community partners that play a paramount role in connecting Veterans to housing and a range of vital services.
Your hard work, combined with these resources, makes us a formidable opponent in the fight against homelessness. With each triumph, we are propelled closer to becoming a country in which every Veteran has a safe place to call home, and you inspire us to reach for higher horizons. Building on the momentum demonstrated in the most recent PIT Count, VA Secretary Denis McDonough has outlined new goals to help Veterans experiencing homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles area this year:
- Placing at least 1,500 Veterans experiencing homelessness into permanent housing, which would represent a greater than 10% increase in permanent housing placements since 2021.
- Increasing the percentage of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program vouchers under lease to at least 75%, which would represent the highest voucher utilization rate since 2018.
- Increasing to 50% the percentage of Veterans admitted to HUD-VASH who are housed within 90 days.
Additionally, VA and its community partners will place at least 38,000 Veterans experiencing homelessness into permanent housing nationwide in calendar year 2022.
Veterans experiencing homelessness across the country, deserve nothing less than the best resources, support, and displays of dedication we have to offer. I know each of you shares this sentiment—I see it embedded in your attitudes, conversations, and outcomes every day. So, while many of us may be filling out basketball brackets this month, I already know the best team to bet on: ours.
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Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can call or visit their local VA Medical Center (VAMC) and ask for a Homeless Coordinator. Use the VA locator tool www.va.gov/directory to find your nearest VAMC and call or visit today.
