Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System provided more than 234 permanent housing placements to homeless Veterans
PRESS RELEASE
January 26, 2023
Muskogee , OK — As part of VA’s nationwide goal to house 38,000 homeless Veterans in 2022, the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System has provided 234 permanent housing placements to homeless Veterans.
Permanent housing placements provided by VA staff and community partners included apartments or houses that Veterans could rent or own, often with a subsidy to help make the housing affordable. VA staff also helped some Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting with family and friends.
These placements, along with placements provided by other VA health care systems across America, led to VA housing 40,401 Veterans nationwide, meeting and exceeding its national goal by more than 6.3%.
“This goal was achieved through the hard work and dedication of our Homeless Veterans Program staff, our grantees, contractors, and valued community partners,” said Interim Medical Center Director, Barry Webster. “The progress we’re seeing with Veteran homelessness in our Tulsa area shows that we have the right solutions to end homelessness for all Veterans we care for.”
Nationally, the total number of Veterans who experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2022, was 33,129 — a decrease of 11% from January 2020, the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. In total, the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 55.3% since 2010.
All of these efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the wraparound support they need to stay housed — including health care, job training, legal and education assistance and more.
If you are a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.