NC NEWSLINE - An 8% reduction in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness on a given night in January 2024 is the lone bright spot in an otherwise grim U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report documenting homelessness in America.
The report found 770,000 Americans — an 18% increase over the previous year — experiencing homelessness on that January night. It was the largest number recorded since HUD began conducting the counts in 2005.
HUD’s 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) found that the number of people experiencing homelessness increased in every category — except for veterans — measured during the department’s annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. The count is a snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing and unsheltered on a single night.
According to the 2024 PIT Count, there were 32,882 veterans experiencing homelessness — 2,692 fewer than the 35,574 recorded in 2023. About six in every 10 were sheltered and the other four in 10 were unsheltered, meaning they didn’t have a regular place to stay and sleep in places not meant for human habitation. Veterans made up 5% of all adults experiencing homelessness.
North Carolina is home to 10 military installations with more than 89,000 active-duty personnel, many of whom remain here after separating from the military. As of 2024, there were an estimated 800,000 veterans living in the state. The PIT Count found 688 veterans experiencing homelessness. That was an 11% decrease over the 777 recorded in 2023.
Bucking a general trend
The modest positive news on veterans’ homelessness was an exception to the overall trend in North Carolina and elsewhere. Total homelessness across the state jumped 19% to 11,626 in 2024. That was 1,872 more than the 9,754 counted in 2023.
“We’ve seen these numbers increase over and over and over,” said Dr. Latonya Agard, executive director for the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, during a recent discussion about the AHAR report at a discussion sponsored by the North Carolina Housing Coalition.
The largest increase North Carolina has experienced is with the unsheltered homeless population, Agard said. “These are our most vulnerable people, and that increase was 31.4% from 2023 to 2024. There are over 4,500 [North Carolinians] in 2024 who were counted as unsheltered. What the trend tells me is that we’re just not doing enough.”
Homelessness among people in families with children, individuals, individuals with chronic patterns of homelessness, people staying in unsheltered locations, people staying in sheltered locations and unaccompanied youth all reached the highest recorded numbers in 2024, according to the AHAR.
Federal funding makes a difference for veterans
The falling numbers for veterans experiencing homelessness is not a new phenomenon, according to HUD data. Since the department began collecting data for veterans in 2009, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has declined 55% percent, according to the AHAR. That year, PIT counters reported 73,367 veterans experiencing homelessness compared to the 32,882 counted in 2024. The declines in sheltered and unsheltered experiences of homelessness in 2024 were similar — 56% and 54% respectively.
“It’s [the reduction in veteran homelessness] probably one of the most significant public policy wins that we’ve had in the homelessness world,” said Ann Oliva, the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to prevent and end homelessness.
Oliva noted that programs designed to attack veterans’ homelessness have for many years enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress. That, she said, has led to generous funding and other resources to address the issue.
“There isn’t a lot of fighting between administrations or members of Congress about whether we should be supporting veterans who have become homeless or are at risk of homelessness,” Oliva said.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials also credit the falling number of veterans experiencing homelessness to targeted and sustained funding. They also note the aggressive goals the department has set to reduce veteran homelessness.
In March 2024, the VA announced that it would:
place at least 41,000 homeless veterans into permanent housing,
ensure that at least 95% of the Veterans housed in 2023 do not return to homelessness during the year, and
Engage with at least 40,000 unsheltered veterans to help them obtain housing and other wraparound services.
Six months after its announcement, the department reported that it had permanently housed 47,925 veterans, which represented 116.9% of its goal. It also reported exceeding its goal to engage with 40,000 unsheltered veterans and that 96% of veterans it housed remained in housing at the end of the federal fiscal year that runs from October 1 to September 30.
Shawn Liu, director of communications for the U.S. Department Veterans Affairs Homeless Programs, said the strategy to reduce homelessness for veterans is a simple one: provide housing and do it as quickly as possible. It’s a “housing first” approach to provide permanent housing and support services to people experiencing homelessness that’s supported by many advocacy groups for people experiencing homelessness.
