HUD-VASH Program: Housing and Support for Homeless Veterans

If you are a Veteran without stable housing, call 877-424-3838 for free, confidential help, available 24/7. HUD-VASH can combine a rental voucher with ongoing case management when you need support to obtain and keep housing. The call starts an assessment; it does not guarantee an immediate voucher or apartment.

Does HUD-VASH fit your housing need?

HUD-VASH provides long-term rental assistance together with support from a VA case manager or approved service provider. It is intended for Veterans experiencing homelessness who need ongoing case management to sustain housing, often because of complex health or other challenges.

If you need a safe place tonight, say so when you call and ask about shelter or emergency housing while longer-term options are assessed. If you still have a home but face eviction, ask about homelessness prevention and Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). Neither situation should wait for a HUD-VASH voucher decision.

How the eligibility assessment works

The homeless program team assesses your service record, housing circumstances, and need for case management. Do not decide you are ineligible because you are not enrolled in ordinary VA health care or did not serve its usual minimum period. Homeless program eligibility has broader service rules; an other than honorable discharge is not an automatic reason to avoid asking for an assessment. A dishonorable discharge or discharge by sentence of a general court-martial can exclude participation.

After a program referral, the public housing agency (PHA) checks voucher income eligibility and the household's lifetime sex-offender registration status. If the Veteran is subject to lifetime registration, the household cannot be admitted. If another household member is subject to it, the remaining family may qualify if they agree to remove that person from the household composition. Other criminal records are not automatically the same admission bar.

HUD-VASH uses the local low-income limit, generally 80% of area median income, adjusted for household size. VA service-connected disability benefits are excluded when deciding initial income eligibility. This special exclusion does not apply to every VA payment, such as ordinary pension income.

Your rent and housing choices

The voucher pays rental assistance to the landlord, and you pay the assessed family share. Service-connected disability benefits generally do count when calculating that share, even though they are excluded from the initial income test. Other normal income exclusions and deductions can apply. Ask the PHA for the calculation and utility allowance before deciding whether a unit is affordable.

For example, a Veteran whose only income is disability compensation might pass the income eligibility test but still owe a monthly rent share. The voucher is not a cash payment to spend on any apartment or a promise of rent-free housing.

A private-market unit must have a landlord willing to participate, meet inspection and program requirements, and have an approved rent. Some assistance is tied to designated buildings instead. Your case manager can help you search and connect with health care, benefits, employment, or other support based on your needs.

Start the assessment, then the voucher process

Call 877-424-3838 or contact your local homeless team. Tell them where you are staying, whether it is safe tonight, and how to reach you. You can use the VA facility locator to find a nearby medical center.
Complete the program assessment. Bring service/discharge records if available, identification, household information, and benefit or income records. Ask for help obtaining missing documents; you can make the initial call without already having them.
Complete the housing agency packet after referral. Confirm what income and household records are still needed, who issues the voucher, and the search deadline.
Obtain unit approval before relying on the subsidy. Coordinate the tenancy request, inspection, rent approval, and lease start with the PHA and case manager. Ask separately about deposits, moving costs, and utilities; the voucher does not automatically cover them.

If no voucher or case-management place is available, ask about other housing programs and how to remain reachable for follow-up. A national phone call cannot establish local availability.

Keep the assistance and resolve problems early

Participate in case management when it is required, report household or income changes, and follow the lease and voucher rules. If illness, transportation, or a lost phone prevents contact, tell the case manager and ask for a workable arrangement or disability accommodation. Required case-management participation is different from requiring sobriety or completion of substance-use treatment before you can be housed.

If declined, ask which decision was made: program eligibility or need for case management by the homeless team, income/voucher eligibility by the PHA, or a specific landlord's rental decision. Request the written reason and the available review or hearing instructions from the decision-maker. If disability compensation was counted in the initial HUD-VASH income test, specifically ask the PHA to review that calculation. Keep notices and meet the deadline stated in them.

What if I want to move or need Tribal HUD-VASH?

Before moving to another area, contact your case manager and the PHA to arrange the voucher and required case management. Do not assume the subsidy will follow a lease signed elsewhere without approval.

American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans can ask about Tribal HUD-VASH, which provides rental assistance and support through participating tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities. Ask the homeless team about the participating program and housing area relevant to you.

Your next step

Call 877-424-3838 and describe your current housing, immediate safety needs, and a reliable way to contact you. If you are helping another Veteran, you can call without first proving their program eligibility.