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Message from Monica Diaz, Executive Director, VHA Homeless Programs Office
VA Homeless Programs
Message from Monica Diaz, Executive Director, VHA Homeless Programs Office
March 2025
Social worker. It's a job title we’ve all heard, but if you don’t interact with social workers—or aren't one yourself—you may not know exactly what they do.
When it comes to helping Veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, the answer is just about everything.
Social workers are the backbone of VA's homeless programs. They’re the engine that keeps this operation running and a large part of the reason that we have been able to cut Veteran homelessness by more than half since 2010.
Passing up more lucrative careers in the private sector because of their dedication to our mission, VA's homeless program social workers are assigned a monumental task—helping Veterans at the lowest points in their lives.
That often means leaving behind the office to go into the streets, encampments, or other places to meet homeless Veterans where they are. The Veterans they discover often face medical problems, mental health issues, substance use disorders, or all three. And, after having bravely served their country, they feel like that country has turned its back on them. They're cast out, lost, and rejected.
It’s the job of these social workers to offer a hand—sometimes repeatedly—to encourage Veterans to turn back toward help. They work hard to build trust, instill hope, and help Veterans navigate the system and connect with the programs that can put roofs back over their heads.
But it doesn't stop there.
Once Veterans are housed, social workers work efficiently and cost effectively to ensure they have all they need to succeed in that housing and regain their independence. This includes developing plans, identifying problems, connecting them to resources, providing therapeutic interventions for mental health and substance use issues, and much more.
A major part of that package is putting Veterans in touch with services that can help them regain employment. As you might guess, income is a fundamental part of successfully maintaining housing.
Our employment programs provide job placement assistance, training and development, Compensated Work Therapy, and more. VA also partners with employers to encourage them to hire Veterans for open positions—all with the goal of providing homeless Veterans with the opportunity to return to healthy, productive lives within their own communities.
We know these wraparound supports are working. It only takes one quick look at the numbers to see the successes. Last year, despite a very difficult rental market, homelessness among Veterans continued to decline. They were the only population to do so because they are one of the only populations that receives such comprehensive assistance to ensure they are successful in their housing placements.
Powered by the dedication of our social workers, we will do whatever it takes to make sure Veterans have a safe, secure place to call home.
