In August, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new set of policy changes that will help more disabled veterans receive housing assistance under the HUD-Department of Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program and will improve their access to supportive housing developments.

Before this change, service-connected disability benefits were considered income when determining eligibility for certain supportive housing developments—causing some veterans to exceed the income threshold for these programs.

The HUD-VASH program is a vital resource to house veterans experiencing homelessness. It pairs HUD rental assistance, provided through housing vouchers targeted to veterans experiencing homelessness, with VA case management and other supportive services.

“We [at DAV] had previously heard complaints about housing voucher denials from our membership,” said Marquis Barefield, assistant national legislative director. “Our members will be pleased to hear about this positive change in housing assistance for veterans experiencing homelessness.”