Veteran Homelessness Facts


The vast majority of homeless veter- ans (96%) are single males from poor, disadvantaged communities. Homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Free- dom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America.


 The number of homeless female veterans is on the rise: in 2006, there were 150 homeless female veterans of the Iraq and Afghani- stan wars; in 2011, there were 1,700. That same year, 18% of homeless veterans assisted by the VA were women. Comparison studies conducted by HUD show that female veterans are two to three times more likely to be homeless than any other group in the US adult population.


 Veterans between the ages of 18 and 30 are twice as likely as adults in the general population to be homeless, and the risk of homeless- ness increases significantly among young veterans who are poor.


 Roughly 56% of all homeless veter- ans are African-American or His- panic, despite only accounting for 12.8% and 15.4% of the U.S. popu- lation respectively.


 About 53% of individual homeless veterans have disabilities, com- pared with 41%of homeless non- veteran individuals.


 Half suffer from mental illness; two- thirds suffer from substance abuse problems; and many from dual diag- nosis (which is defined as a person struggling with both mental illness and a substance abuse problem).


 Homeless veterans tend to experi- ence homelessness longer than their non-veteran peers: Veterans spend an average of nearly six years homeless, compared to four years reported among non- veterans.


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