Veteran homelessness sees largest spike in 12 years, VA reports: ‘We have failed,’ laments Army vet

The homeless veteran population is not seeing much of a decline.

That's according to a new report from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), which identified a significant spike.

Veteran homelessness increased by 7.4% last year for the largest surge in 12 years, as revealed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD's) annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count Report.

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On a single night in Jan. 2023, there were 35,574 homeless veterans in the U.S., the report also revealed.

Overall, despite the surge from 2022 to 2023, veteran homelessness has been trending downward. 

Since 2010, the number of homeless veterans has decreased by 52%, with a 4% reduction over the last three years alone.

This year’s results revealed that 20,067 veterans experienced sheltered homelessness (meaning they lived in shelters) — an increase of 2.6% from 2022.

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Meanwhile, 15,507 veterans went unsheltered — representing an uptick of 14.3% from the prior year.

Unsheltered veterans represented nearly 80% of the overall increase in homelessness seen in 2023.

Mission Roll Call CEO and U.S. Army veteran Jim Whaley, who is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, expressed concern and disappointment with the report's findings in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.

"We have failed as a nation when we look at numbers like that," he said. "We are not doing a good job as a country in making sure that veterans are not homeless. We're not doing a very good job of making sure they're transitioning to civilian life in a successful manner."

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While many veterans have seen success in their off-duty lives, Whaley pointed out that former military personnel experience "a lot of significant problems," such as unemployment, food insecurity and access to benefits such as medical treatment.

Also, "the [Department of Defense] recognizes that 24% of all active-duty military have food insecurity issues," he said. "That’s mind-boggling."

The new government report noted, as posted on VA News (va.gov), "VA and our federal partners have made supporting unsheltered veterans a top priority, both as part of our 2023 Homelessness Goals and the All Inside initiative."

The article added, "As of October 2023, VA has already engaged with 34,498 unsheltered veterans to ensure they access to the shelter and housing resources they need. This has exceeded VA’s goal to engage with 28,000 unsheltered veterans by 123.2%."

Mission Roll Call's CEO also noted about America's veterans and their needs, "When you look at the basic pay for a junior enlisted person when they first join the service, it's just a few thousand dollars over the poverty level. We can do better than that, and we need to as a country."

Whaley went on to note that military recruitment has been trending low. While many believe that is due to a saturated job market, the CEO countered that it comes "full circle" when potential recruits witness how a majority of U.S. veterans are living without help from government agencies.

"How can we expect to recruit the next generation of volunteers?" he asked.

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Given that nearly a quarter of active-duty military members have food insecurity challenges, Whaley said, "I don't understand why the Department of Defense is surprised that they're not getting recruitment calls."

Whaley called for the DOD to "do a better job of equipping service members for success in the transition to civilian life."

"We need to make sure businesses understand the value that veterans bring to the workplace — and [that requires] a partnership right at the highest level," he said.

"That's the president and Department of Defense making sure that happens."

Whaley called the DOD "guilty" of promising young recruits a skillset and experience that would make them "valuable" once they exit the service.

"It's an empty promise, because they have not fulfilled that in their actions, programs or relationships they have with hiring organizations and businesses across our country," he said. 

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"There is no reason we cannot hire 100% of our veterans who are getting out of active duty."

The Mission Roll Call CEO advised active military and veterans to "come together" to continue calling attention to these issues.

"You need the very best military to be able to make sure our way of life is secure — and that's done by volunteers," Whaley said. "So, we need to take care of those volunteers and their families. And we're not doing well with that."

Concerned Veterans for America senior adviser John Byrnes, who is based in North Carolina, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview that he was not surprised by the new report.

"Homelessness — along with mental health and substance abuse, which are co-related in many cases — has been a problem for veterans for a long time," he said. 

Byrnes listed some factors that occurred during 2023, like an "economic downturn" and the VA's 30-day backlog in mental health services, which delayed veteran care and potentially caused a spike in homelessness.

To address the homelessness crisis, Byrnes stressed the need to "get our economy right" while also improving efforts to protect veterans' mental health.

In addition to the homelessness problem, he noted that the veteran suicide crisis means 17 veterans are taking their lives each day.

To veterans, Byrnes advised, "Don't count on the VA as a single point of resource." 

He also suggested reaching out to local veteran service organizations for help.

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"This is a whole community, whole nation, whole society approach," he went on. 

"While veterans and the barriers they face are ultimately a federal government problem, the federal government is a hammer and not every problem is a nail."

To those veterans who are struggling with homelessness, Byrnes said, "The biggest thing is don't give up."

VA News, in the article on its site about the latest report, acknowledged the need for much more work to be done on the federal level for homeless veterans. 

"One veteran experiencing homelessness is one too many, let alone 35,574," wrote Monica Diaz, executive director of the VA Homeless Programs Office.

"We are at a pivotal moment in the national housing and homelessness crises," the piece also noted. 

Among the solutions needed from the VA are these, said the article:

The article went on, "In collaboration with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, HUD, the Department of Labor, and other federal and local partners, VA will continue to execute evidence-based approaches, such as Housing First, to prevent and end homelessness among veterans."

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It added, "We won’t rest until every veteran has a safe, stable, accessible and affordable home — and no veteran experiences the tragedy and indignity of homelessness ever again."

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