HUD VASH

HUD VASH Information for CoCs

The information provided below was developed by the VA to provide additional information on the HUD VASH program to HUD’s local providers and Continuum's of Care.

HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD- VASH)
HUD-VASH is one program in the VA's homeless continuum of care. Veterans participants in the HUD-VASH Program must meet VA health care eligibility as defined by law and regulation (including enrollment in the VA health care system) and they must be homeless. The HUD- VASH program defines "homeless" by adopting the McKinney Act, Title 42, definition which is: an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, or an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is:
(a) A supervised publicly or privately-operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill;
(b) An institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
(c) A public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

A chronically homeless Veteran is a person who has been continuously homeless for 1 year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.

The Targeted referral population for HUD-VASH includes chronically homeless Veterans and their dependents, homeless Veterans who usually present with mental health or substance use disorders, other homeless Veterans with diminished functional capacity and who need case management to obtain or sustain permanent housing. A period of sustained sobriety is not a prerequisite of the HUD-VASH Program.

The HUD-VASH Program referral sources include:

· Community source, including shelters, street outreach teams, members of the local continuum of care or community provider networks;
· The Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program;
· The Domiciliary or Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program;
· The Health Care for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) Program;
· The Grant & Per Diem Program;
· VA medical facility inpatient and outpatient programs;
· VA and community Emergency Services; and
· Community-based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC).

Questions and or concerns related to HUD-VASH should be directed to Vince Kane at Vincent.Kane@VA.Gov or by calling 215-823-4035.