Veteran homelessness in the U.S. continues to decline according to a new national estimate announced Friday by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
HUD's Annual Homeless Assessment Report finds the total number of reported veterans experiencing homelessness in 2018 decreased 5.4 percent since last year, falling to nearly half of the number of homeless veterans reported in 2010. View local estimates of veteran homelessness.
Statewide in Illinois, there were 60 fewer homeless veterans, a drop of nearly seven percent. In southern Illinois, the number dropped from 19 in 2017 to 11 this year.
The decrease in veteran homelessness is being largely be attributed to the effectiveness of the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, which combines permanent HUD rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by the VA.