Press Releases | February 10, 2011

Contact: Catherine An
202-942-8297, can@naeh.org

National Alliance to End Homelessness Deplores High Rate of Homelessness among Veterans

Alliance Encourages Federal Government to Step up Efforts to Solve Problem

Washington, DC – Washington, D.C. – A report released today on veteran homelessness again points out that veterans are at disproportionately high risk of homelessness. The report, the most accurate assessment of the scope of the problem to date, provides an important benchmark for national efforts to solve this problem.

Major findings in the report confirm what earlier studies have found:

• Veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than their non-veteran counterparts
• Veterans in some minority groups – African Americans and Hispanics – are more likely to experience homelessness than those who are Caucasian.
• Veteran homelessness is concentrated in a few places – nearly half of all veterans experiencing homelessness reside in California, Texas, New York, or Florida.

“In 2009, President Obama and Secretary Eric Shinseki pledged to end veteran homelessness in five years,” said Nan Roman, president of the Alliance. “This was a courageous step and the appropriate goal. The task is an urgent one, as this report shows. Moving forward, we must harness the political will to implement smart solutions. It will require federal resources, it will require agency cooperation, it will require national leadership. We at the Alliance look forward to working with the Administration and with Congress to achieve this worthy goal.”

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