California has the largest population of homeless veterans in the country. (Photo: Amanda Kelso)

On Nov. 11, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it changed regulations for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families, or SSVF, grant program in an effort to better help veterans who rent in high-cost rental markets.

The changes are effective immediately.

SSVF grants previously covered up to 35% of a veterans’ “reasonable” rent; however, that rate has now been increased to 50%. The cap for general housing assistance has also been raised for veteran families most at risk for homelessness, and unsheltered veterans and their families can remain in emergency housing for up to 60 days, up from 45 days.

The VA says the changes were implemented as part of the department’s overall strategy to fight veteran homelessness. Secretary Denis McDonough says, “the updated regulations give Supportive Services for Veteran Families grantees more flexibility and tools to keep veterans housed while also helping them increase their income and access permanent affordable housing solutions.”

Veterans Homelessness in California

No state has a bigger homeless veteran population than California, but efforts are underway to combat this.

The VA is actively working to house over 500 Los Angeles-area veterans by Dec. 31, and most recently provided temporary housing to about 40 homeless veterans living at the now-defunct “Veterans Row” encampment that was just outside of a West Los Angeles VA Medical Care facility.

The VA also allocated over $116 Million in grants to various organizations combating veteran homeless as recently as September.

It is currently unclear how effective any of these measures have been.

Author: Christian Southards

Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.