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Effective Date:Oct 1, 2026
The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a record $1.17 billion to 680 organizations working to prevent and end Veteran homelessness.
The fiscal 2027 funding will support homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, service centers and specialized housing for Veterans with additional needs.
The grants are divided between two VA programs with different purposes and operating periods.
Approximately $855 million will flow through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. Another $318 million will support the Grant and Per Diem program.
Both sets of grants began October 1, 2026.
The largest portion of the award will be distributed through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, commonly known as SSVF.
VA awarded approximately $855 million in one-year SSVF grants to eligible nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives.
SSVF is designed to prevent homelessness before a Veteran loses housing and to help Veterans experiencing homelessness return to permanent housing quickly.
Funded organizations can provide case management and other supportive services intended to:
Prevent the imminent loss of a Veteran’s home;
Identify safer or more appropriate housing;
Rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families;
Help households obtain public benefits;
Assist with housing searches and landlord coordination; and
Address barriers that could prevent a household from remaining stably housed.
Depending on program rules and the circumstances of the household, SSVF assistance can also include temporary financial support for rent, utilities, security deposits, moving expenses, transportation, childcare and other costs connected to housing stability.
These are one-year grants beginning October 1. Recipients will therefore need to monitor enrollment, spending, housing placements and required outcomes throughout fiscal 2027.
VA awarded another $318 million through its Grant and Per Diem program, known as GPD.
Unlike the one-year SSVF awards, these are three-year grants. They also began October 1.
GPD funding supports community organizations that provide transitional housing, service centers and other temporary assistance to Veterans experiencing homelessness.
The fiscal 2027 awards are intended to support:
Transitional housing combined with supportive services;
Service centers assisting Veterans experiencing homelessness;
Transition-in-place housing;
Specialized housing for women Veterans;
Housing for Veterans with chronic mental illness;
Housing for frail or elderly Veterans;
Assistance for Veterans who are terminally ill; and
Housing designed for Veterans caring for minor dependents.
Under a transition-in-place model, a Veteran receives transitional assistance in a housing unit that can ultimately become the Veteran’s permanent home. The services and temporary program restrictions end, but the resident does not have to move to a different apartment to achieve permanent housing.
That model can reduce the disruption and instability associated with making a formerly homeless household relocate again after completing a transitional program.
Although both programs are part of VA’s homelessness response, SSVF and GPD do not perform the same function.
SSVF concentrates on prevention and rapid movement into permanent housing. It is often the intervention used when a Veteran is facing eviction, has recently become homeless or can regain stability with short-term financial assistance and case management.
GPD generally supports interim housing and services for Veterans who need a structured period of assistance before moving into permanent housing.
A local provider may participate in one or both programs, but the grant term, eligible activities, facility requirements and performance expectations differ.
Affordable-housing owners and property managers are more likely to interact directly with SSVF when a grantee is searching for apartments, negotiating with landlords or assisting a Veteran with deposits and rent.
Operators of transitional housing and service centers will be more directly affected by the GPD awards.
VA said 680 organizations across the country will receive funding through the two programs.
The award portfolio includes national nonprofits, regional organizations, local service providers, tribal organizations and other entities working with Veterans experiencing or approaching homelessness.
VA has published separate fiscal 2027 recipient lists for SSVF and GPD.
Housing organizations should review both lists rather than relying only on the national total. A provider may serve multiple counties, states or VA medical-center service areas, and the organization receiving the grant may not operate under the same name as its local program.
Property owners interested in leasing to participating Veterans can use the recipient lists to identify organizations providing housing placement and case-management services in their markets.
Public housing agencies and Continuums of Care can also use the lists to determine which VA-funded providers should participate in coordinated-entry, landlord-engagement and homelessness-response planning.
The awards follow what VA described as its strongest annual Veteran housing result in seven years.
VA reported that it permanently housed 51,936 Veterans during fiscal 2025. That was 4,011 more Veterans than the department reported housing during the prior fiscal year.
The number represents housing placements made through VA programs and partnerships. It is not the same as the national Point-in-Time count of Veterans experiencing homelessness on a single night.
Housing placement is also not the end of the process. Providers must continue monitoring whether households remain housed and whether Veterans can access the income, health care and supportive services needed for long-term stability.
The new SSVF and GPD awards are intended to maintain and expand that work during fiscal 2027.
Federal funding cannot rapidly rehouse a Veteran if participating programs cannot locate available apartments.
SSVF grantees frequently depend on private landlords, affordable-housing owners, property managers and public housing agencies willing to accept referrals.
High rents, limited vacancies, screening requirements and move-in costs can delay lease-up even when a Veteran qualifies for assistance.
Local providers may offer housing-navigation services, help prepare documentation, communicate with landlords and provide financial assistance for eligible move-in expenses.
Owners considering an SSVF referral should confirm:
Which organization will provide case management;
How rental assistance will be calculated and paid;
Whether security-deposit assistance is available;
How long financial assistance may continue;
Who should be contacted if a payment is delayed;
What services remain available after move-in;
Whether the household has access to longer-term rental assistance if needed.
SSVF assistance is generally temporary. Owners should not assume that every participant has a permanent voucher or an indefinite rent subsidy.
Public housing agencies can play a significant role in converting short-term assistance into lasting housing stability.
Some Veterans served through SSVF or GPD may qualify for HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing assistance, commonly known as HUD-VASH.
HUD-VASH combines a HUD Housing Choice Voucher with VA case management and clinical services. Eligibility and referral procedures differ from SSVF and GPD, and participation in one program does not automatically establish eligibility for another.
PHAs should maintain current contacts with their local VA medical center, SSVF grantees, GPD providers and Continuum of Care.
Local coordination can help agencies identify available units, prevent duplicated assistance, manage referrals and move eligible Veterans from transitional programs into permanent housing.
An award announcement is the beginning of the grant period, not the end of the compliance process.
Recipients must administer funding according to the applicable VA regulations, grant agreements, program guidance and fiscal requirements.
Providers should be prepared to document:
Participant eligibility;
Housing status at enrollment;
Services and financial assistance provided;
Rental and utility payments;
Housing placements and exits;
Coordination with landlords and other programs;
Safeguards for personally identifiable information;
Fiscal controls and separation of duties;
Subrecipient or contractor oversight; and
Required performance and financial reports.
Organizations operating housing must also maintain appropriate property, safety, accessibility and habitability standards.
A failure to document an eligible participant, service or payment can create monitoring findings even when the underlying assistance benefited a Veteran.
Recipients should verify the amount, service area, grant period and conditions attached to each award.
Organizations should reconcile their approved budgets with staffing, facility and participant-service plans before incurring fiscal 2027 costs.
SSVF recipients should confirm their homelessness-prevention and rapid-rehousing procedures, landlord-engagement capacity and temporary financial-assistance controls.
GPD recipients should review bed capacity, per diem procedures, inspection requirements, staffing plans and the services connected to each approved housing model.
Programs should also update referral relationships with VA medical centers, PHAs, Continuums of Care, shelters, legal-aid organizations and affordable-housing providers.
Clear communication before the grant period begins can prevent Veterans from being transferred repeatedly between organizations or required to submit the same information multiple times.
VA’s $1.17 billion award represents a major federal investment in preventing and ending Veteran homelessness.
Approximately $855 million will support one-year SSVF grants focused on homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing. Another $318 million will fund three-year GPD awards supporting transitional housing, service centers, transition-in-place models and specialized housing.
The grants began October 1 and will reach 680 organizations nationwide.
The size of the award is important, but its practical effect will depend on local execution: available apartments, participating landlords, accurate referrals, effective services and strong grant administration.
For housing providers, the next step is to identify the funded organizations operating locally and determine how their programs connect Veterans to permanent homes.
VA is directing a record $1.17 billion to 680 organizations working to prevent and end Veteran homelessness. The awards will support both rapid access to permanent housing and transitional programs for Veterans who need additional services before moving into long-term housing.
Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness, families of Veterans, SSVF and Grant and Per Diem recipients, nonprofit housing and service providers, affordable-housing owners, property managers, landlords, public housing agencies, Continuums of Care, VA medical centers and organizations operating transitional or specialized housing.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a record $1.17 billion to 680 organizations addressing Veteran homelessness. Approximately $855 million will fund one-year Supportive Services for Veteran Families grants, while $318 million will support three-year Grant and Per Diem awards. Both grant periods began October 1, 2026.
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