Veterans advocacy groups are attributing a long-term decline in veterans’ homelessness to effective community support for housing and other services. Veterans are shown lining up to receive free services and goods during an annual “standdown for veterans,” sponsored by the National Veterans Outreach Program on Nov. 8, 2013. (Christopher Carwile/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — Veteran homelessness continued on a downward trajectory in 2024 — albeit dropping a modest 1% — as homelessness in the general population fell by 3%, the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.
More than 745,600 people were identified as homeless during a nationwide census conducted on a single night in January 2025, according to the findings of an annual HUD survey released Friday.
There were 32,495 homeless veterans counted during that census, which was less than the 32,882 reported in January 2023, the survey found.
The decline is less than the 8% drop that HUD reported in 2023 but continues a long-term downward trend in veteran homelessness, according to HUD.
Between 2009, when veteran data was first reported, and 2025, the overall number of homeless veterans fell by 56%, according to the report.
The annual report was issued after a five-month delay that HUD Secretary Scott Turner said was largely due to the government shutdown in 2025. Turner made the comment at a recent Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
Advocacy groups on Monday attributed the decline to housing resources and targeted support available to homeless veterans, which include services such as case management and addiction treatment.
“The housing-focused programs and strategies at the heart of homelessness response can and do work when they are appropriately resourced,” said Ann Oliva, chief executive officer of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
“What we’ve seen over the last few years here in Los Angeles is that we realize the best results when we leverage a meaningful investment from the federal government with proper coordination at the local level,” said James Zenner, director of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for Los Angeles County.
Although California continued to lead the country in the number of homeless veterans — accounting for 27% of the national total — the state reported 624 fewer homeless veterans over the prior year, according to HUD.
According to the 2025 HUD survey, 23 states and the District of Columbia had a decrease in the homeless veteran population.
The largest decline was in North Dakota, with 36% fewer homeless veterans over the prior year, the survey said.
Veterans represented 5% of the overall adult homeless population in 2024, according to HUD.
Data is categorized by individuals, people in families with children, unaccompanied minors, veterans and people experiencing long-term homelessness, according to HUD.
“People who served our country are still being affected by homelessness, and that is not acceptable,” said Haywood Fennell, a Vietnam veteran and children’s book author who was homeless for several years after military service.
Fennell, who served in the Army from 1958 to 1964, said he returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder, more than a decade before PTSD was recognized as a mental health diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association.
“I was a stranger in my own household and fell into addiction,” said Fennell, adding that community-based programs for addressing drug abuse, mental health and housing for veterans enabled him to address his problems and rebuild his life.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness also warned that many programs with a mission to house and support veterans are at risk under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“So much of the progress reflected in the [annual census] is due to targeted housing and service resources that were available in 2024,” Oliva said. “Unfortunately, the Trump administration has largely deprioritized these tools and worked to dismantle the very systems that drove these reductions.”
A White House spokeswoman said Monday night in a written statement that the president is making that sure his administration supports veterans and their families.
“President Trump cares deeply about supporting those who put their lives on the line for our nation, which is why his administration has eliminated the backlog of Veteran families waiting for health care, processed a record number of VA disability claims, and opened dozens health clinics for Veterans across the country,” said Anna Kelly, principal deputy press secretary in the White House.
Kelly also pointed to Trump’s commitment to redeveloping the Department of Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Campus as a major housing, treatment and resource hub for veterans. The initiative was announced by executive order in May 2025.
“Progress also continues on the National Center for Warrior Independence in Los Angeles, which will help our heroes receive the care, benefits, and services to which they are entitled,” Kelly said. “The President will always do everything in his power to take care of our warfighters — and he is determined to eliminate the long-term threat that the terrorist Iranian regime poses to our homeland and our troops in the region.”
Oliva also criticized the administration’s directives for cities to implement involuntary commitments, court-ordered treatment and conservatorships for homeless people living on the street.
Other homeless advocates echoed those statements.
“This [point-in-time] count, conducted just weeks into Trump’s second term, reflects the progress made through the Biden administration’s commitment to proven solutions to homelessness, like housing and support. These results show clearly that solving homelessness is possible,” said the National Homelessness Law Center.
