Vouchers For Homeless Veterans Get Boost In Fairfax County

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — With homeless veterans present in Fairfax County, an increased number of housing vouchers will help more find homes.

Fairfax County's housing authority received 20 additional Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers for veterans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development and Department of Veterans Affairs. In all, the county now has 183 vouchers to house veterans. The new vouchers will be available as of April 1, 2024.

"Thousands of veterans live in Fairfax County, but some live without stable housing, with food insecurity, and suffering from health issues," said Lenore Stanton, chair of the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. "That is why the additional VASH vouchers are so important, as this program goes beyond housing services to really help veterans get back into a stable life."

Fairfax County's housing authority was one of 71 public housing authorities receiving $16.1 million in new vouchers for veterans. The vouchers supplement rental assistance from HUD and case management and clinical services from the VA.

"These vouchers will help us get homeless veterans and their families off the streets and into affordable housing," said HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge at the time of the announcement. "This investment represents our commitment to making veteran homelessness a thing of the past."

Veterans represented 4 percent of the homeless people in Fairfax County's 2023 point-in-time count in late January. There were 34 homeless veterans of the 1,310 people in the county's point-in-time count.

According to a National Institutes of Health study, the greatest risk factors for homelessness among veterans are substance abuse, mental illness and income-related factors.

The VA refers veterans to Fairfax County's voucher program. Homeless individuals can contact Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880 to seek emergency housing.