Wilmington VA takes to the streets to identify and help homeless Veterans

The Wilmington VA Medical Center will hold their SURGE outreach event on Wednesday July 23, 2025.  July 23 SURGE event will target New Castle County due to high population of unsheltered people.  In 2024 there were over 1300 people experiencing homelessness in Delaware. 

The Wilmington VA Homeless program will have a command center set up and five teams consisting of members from VA outreach, and community partners to include Warriors Helping Warriors, Delaware Center for Homeless Veterans, Veterans Multi-Service Center, Home of the Brave, Housing Urban Development, and Housing Alliance of Delaware. 

“The VA recognizes how important it is to go beyond traditional ways of outreach to meet the needs of our unsheltered Veterans as effectively as possible, said Lisa Lincoln, Wilmington VA Homeless Outreach Coordinator. “We appreciate all the community partners participating in this event with the VA,” said Lincoln.

The teams will be assigned to go to various locations throughout Wilmington and surrounding areas. Teams will be searching for and encountering unsheltered individuals who are Veterans and non-Veterans with the end goal being to provide shelter to as many Veterans that same day.

Once a homeless individual is identified and agrees to accept housing assistance they will be transported to temporary housing or a shelter within Delaware. 

“We will continue to serve and support our Veterans who gave so much for us,” said Wilmington VA Director Vamsee Potluri. “We plan to continue this initiative throughout Delaware and southern New Jersey.”

For Media only:

8:00am - 8:30am Command Center Brief (Media is invited to attend). The command center will be located at the Wilmington VA medical center building 10 in the conference room.

8:30am - 2:30pm - Teams will disperse into five separate locations to assist identified unsheltered Veterans and offer on the spot shelter assistance. Wilmington VA Homeless Program will be collaborating with multiple community partners to assist in placing all other unsheltered individuals. VA Homeless Program will be handing out care bags, Naloxone nasal spray, and provide resources for individuals in need. 

2:30pm – End of event.

If you are media and plan on attending the command center brief call public affairs officer, Valerie Harwood at or email valerie.harwood@va.gov

Valerie Harwood, Public Affairs Officer

Phone: