Cellphones, blankets and rental help offered again to homeless veterans

WASHINGTON — A COVID-era program that handed out tens of thousands of smartphones with service plans to homeless veterans has been reestablished with the goal of helping individuals make doctor’s appointments, follow up on job leads and connect with the resources they need to leave the streets.

The program’s renewal, disclosed in a rule published in the Federal Register, enables the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately start providing phones and other critical staples to homeless veterans, including food, blankets, clothes, hygiene items and bus passes.

There are more than 32,000 homeless veterans in the U.S., according to the latest national, single-night census, which was conducted in 2025 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The figure is 1.2% lower than the prior year’s count.

A similar program that operated from Jan. 5, 2021, to May 11, 2023, during the COVID-19 pandemic, handed out free provisions to homeless veterans because many nonprofits shut down during the national health emergency.

Annette Johnson, a 64-year-old Army veteran in Baltimore, said she benefited from the free resources when she was living on the street after a serious accident caused her to lose her job and home.

Army veteran Annette Johnson, 64, of Baltimore, said she benefited from the clothes, cellphones and other resources given to homeless veterans during the COVID lockdown. Johnson, who is 100% disabled, found an apartment in 2025, where she continues to live today. She is shown here in 1980 after joining the military. (Annette Johnson)

“I walked the streets for two years or I would sleep at the airport, when I could. I went to a shelter once, but it scared the hell out of me,” said Johnson, who described overcrowding and few protections for women who were housed near the men.

The renewed program will run through September 2027.

VA medical centers will provide the resources after veterans are evaluated by a clinician or social worker, according to the rule, published on July 29.

Landlords, stores and service vendors will be paid directly by the VA for goods and services for qualifying veterans. No cash is given to the homeless recipients, according to the rule.

Homeless advocates had pushed for the renewal.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans said that the direct vendor-paid resources fill a vital gap since previous temporary authorities expired.

The program is authorized under the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which authorizes the VA to supply survival gear to homeless veterans, such as food, blankets, tents and clothing.

The program also will provide help with housing, including rent, utilities and temporary housing, according to the rule.

Johnson said she previously received assistance for occasional stays at motels, which would last for several days. She also lived in her broken-down car until it was towed away.

“Having a cellphone helped. But the free clothing and other things did not replace housing, which is what I needed,” said Johnson, who found an apartment in September 2025 with help from a local nonprofit agency.

She received assistance for the security deposit and first month’s rent through the program.

Johnson, a former staff sergeant whose Army service spanned 12 years, also worked with a counselor at a local nonprofit to qualify for 100% VA disability compensation, which offsets costs for food, rent and other basics.

Johnson has a service-connected back and neck injury, which required surgery, and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. She receives care for nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver and a service-connected kidney disorder.

The evaluation is “specific to each veteran and will consider, on a case-by-case basis, whether the assistance will enhance the safety, survival, well-being, or living conditions of the covered veteran,” according to the rule.

Free bus transportation or ride-sharing also may be provided to veterans on an as-needed basis for trips to medical appointments, to meet with prospective landlords and for job interviews.

“Living on the outside was hard. I never want to go back there,” said Johnson, who checks in often with her counselor. “That was a rough time but I’m doing better.”