Veteran Homelessness And The Three Barriers That Fuel It | Week 2
Last week, I wrote about the progress our country has made in reducing veteran homelessness. Since 2010, veteran homelessness has been cut by more than half nationwide!
That's remarkable progress.
But it also raises an important question: If housing programs, healthcare benefits, disability assistance, and other resources exist specifically for veterans, why do thousands of veterans still experience homelessness every night?
After fifteen years of street outreach, I've learned that the challenge is often not the absence of help. It's access. At City Relief, we regularly meet veterans who qualify for support but struggle to obtain it. While every story is different, three barriers come up again and again.
The first is documentation.
Many veteran benefits require proof of military service, often through a document called a DD214. Think of it as the key that unlocks access to many veteran-specific resources.
Imagine a veteran who served twenty years ago, has moved several times, and no longer knows where that paperwork is. The benefits may exist, but before he can access them, he first has to prove his eligibility. It turns out you need ID to get ID, so if you can’t prove you served your country, your country won’t serve you back.
The second barrier is navigation.
The VA offers an incredible range of services, but navigating them can be overwhelming and extremely time consuming. Housing programs, healthcare benefits, disability claims, employment assistance, and local resources often involve different offices, applications, and requirements.
Imagine a veteran who has recently lost housing and is sleeping in his car. He knows help is available, but he’s being told to call one number, visit another office, complete paperwork online, and schedule multiple appointments. Each requirement may serve a purpose, but taken together they can create a process that many veterans experience as exhausting, discouraging, and at times exclusionary.
Many veterans don’t need another program. They need someone willing to help them navigate the programs that already exist and walk alongside them through the process.
The third barrier is stability.
It's difficult to solve long-term problems while facing immediate crises. Imagine trying to keep an appointment when your phone has been disconnected. Or trying to complete paperwork when you don't know where you'll sleep that night. Or trying to gather documents when your belongings were recently stolen.
Homelessness makes almost everything harder—including escaping homelessness.
This is one of the reasons relationships matter so much. The most effective outreach isn't simply about providing information. It's about walking alongside people as they navigate the obstacles standing between them and the help they need.
The encouraging news is that we've already seen what's possible when communities work together to bridge those gaps. The dramatic reduction in veteran homelessness over the last fifteen years proves that progress is possible.
But it also reminds us of something important. The distance between homelessness and housing is often shorter than we think. And much more complicated.
With gratitude,
Josiah Haken
City Relief, CEO
