HUD-VASH is a joint program of the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) that provides permanent supportive housing for eligible veterans who are experiencing homelessness. HUD provides rental voucher assistance that helps to cover the cost of privately-owned housing for veterans who are referred by the VA, while the VA provides case management and connects participants with supportive services at VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and community-based outreach clinics.
Vouchers are allocated to public housing agencies (PHAs) on the basis of need, which is determined using Point-in-Time estimates, VAMC data on contacts with homeless veterans, and PHA and VAMC administrative performance data. Although eligibility is not limited to veterans experiencing chronic homelessness, most vouchers are targeted on this population. The program was first established in 1992, but Congress began to provide regular and robust funding in 2008 and has funded approximately 10,000 new HUD-VASH vouchers each year since then, serving more than 114,000 Veterans.
Read a 2017 study on implementation of HUD-VASH at four sites, focused on how veterans move through the program and why they exit the program