Evaluating Public Housing Agency Challenges With the HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program

We conducted this evaluation due to the growing homeless crisis and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) establishing a goal of ending homelessness. Our objective was to evaluate the challenges that participating public housing agencies (PHA) face in meeting the goals and objectives of the HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program. The results from our limited review may help HUD in addressing PHAs’ challenges in addressing homelessness among veterans. In addition, the results of our review will help HUD determine what is working and not working toward meeting its VASH goals and objectives. We sent an electronic questionnaire to a universe of 662 PHAs with a HUD VASH program. The majority of responding PHA executives and designated points of contact found that they had excellent or good relationships with their designated Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) and local HUD field offices to help administer their HUD VASH programs. In addition, the respondents believed that the local HUD and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) field offices had excellent or good working relationships. Also, respondents expressed that the HUD requirements, including waivers and alternative requirements, were helpful in meeting their program goals and objectives. However, respondents were not able to use all of their allocated program vouchers. One of the reasons was the high cost of housing.