VA Program Helps Veteran Families Prevent, End Homelessness, Report Finds
Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) August 27, 2013 -- Most Veterans and their families were able to avoid becoming homeless or find permanent housing if they were homeless under a program funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to a just released report from the VA produced by Abt Associates in partnership with the Technical Assistance Collaborative.
“The success of the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program in 2012 was significant—thousands of our nation’s Veterans were assisted to avoid homelessness or to exit homelessness and regain stability in housing,” said Abt’s Tom Albanese, senior associate and lead for the report.
Of the 21,393 Veterans served by the SSVF program last year, 86 percent either maintained or obtained permanent housing at an average cost to the program of approximately $2,800 per household, Albanese said. The program provides services through community agencies to very low-income Veterans and their families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Among the findings:
• The median length of service for those who exited the program during the first year was 93 days.
• Seventy five percent of households had incomes below 30 percent of the area’s median income and 46 percent of all adults in the program had a disabling condition.
• 15 percent of program recipients were female Veterans – the highest proportion of women served of any VA homeless initiative.
The report also found that the SSVF program was effective in serving younger Veterans and those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sixteen percent of Veterans assisted through the program served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and almost two-thirds of them were homeless. The program also served a younger population than is found in the overall homeless Veteran population – 36 percent of those in the SSVF program were age 30 or younger.
The SSVF program is a new program within VA’s continuum of homeless services designed to provide short-term interventions that provide health care, transportation, and other supports to help individuals and families access and maintain permanent rental housing as quickly as possible and improve their quality of life.
About Abt Associates
Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates is regularly ranked as one of the top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 international development innovators. The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in more than 40 countries. http://www.abtassociates.com
CONTACT:
Sandy Cogan
Sandy_Cogan(at)abtassoc(dot)com
301-347-5913
Caroline Broder
Caroline_broder(at)abtassoc(dot)com
301-347-5792
Sandy Cogan, Abt Associates, http://www.abtassociates.com, +1 (301) 347-5913, [email protected]
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