Visualizing Veteran and Nonveteran Homelessness Rates in Virginia

Brent D. Mast
Tricia Ruiz
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent the official positions or policies of the Office of Policy Development and Research, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the U.S. Government.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) publishes veteran population estimates at the national, state, and county levels. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes homeless count estimates at the national, state, and Continuum of Care (COC) levels. COCs are service areas within state regions that receive HUD grants to address homelessness.

Studies that focus on improving measures of veteran homelessness rates help to advance work in public policy, social services, and veteran care. For example, having timely data for the veteran population at the state and local levels may help providers of veteran care to target resources to veteran populations at the highest risk for homelessness. Tsai and Rosenheck (2015) found that veterans experiencing mental illness, substance use disorders, social isolation, and past incarceration are at the highest risk for homelessness.