NCHV warns that proposed funding changes could jeopardize vital housing and support services for veterans experiencing homelessness.

Washington, D.C. December 2, 2025 – The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) recognizes the urgency and scale of the homelessness crisis nationwide, and the important role the Continuum of Care (CoC) program plays in responding to it. At the same time, the proposed NOFO raises serious concerns for the veterans we serve and the specialized system that has helped reduce veteran homelessness more quickly and more consistently than homelessness among the general population. NCHV urges HUD to fund all eligible renewal projects that expire in calendar year 2026 to avoid disrupting housing and stable networks of support for veterans and others.

Veterans experiencing homelessness have distinct needs. A growing share are older, living with disabilities, and relying on fixed incomes through SSI, SSDI, or VA benefits. For this population, access to stable, affordable housing supported by HUD-VASH, SSVF, GPD, and the HUD Continuum of Care is essential, not optional. These tools prevent rapid destabilization, and the temporary interventions built around them (rapid rehousing, prevention services, transitional housing) work best when paired with long-term affordability supports.

The veteran system has succeeded precisely because it offers multiple intervention types and strong partnerships with VA healthcare and benefits programs, and with dedicated employment supports funded by DOL. Sudden reductions in permanent supportive housing without a realistic transition period risk displacing veterans with high acuity needs, increasing shelter demand, and forcing communities into system redesigns on timelines that are not feasible. An estimated 4,000 veterans living in CoC-funded PSH units could face immediate instability, potentially increasing veteran homelessness by 12%. Communities must retain the flexibility to maintain or expand permanent supportive housing while also strengthening other critical interventions – such as transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and supportive services – rather than being forced into zero-sum tradeoffs that upend the lives of veterans.

NCHV supports the goal of improving system capacity, but any transition of this magnitude requires thoughtful planning, community input, and a phased approach. Reforms should require communities to assess their needs across all housing, programming, and service options, choosing what is best for people experiencing homelessness. They should also include adequate time, funding, partnerships, bridge supports, and technical assistance to close capacity gaps that have grown over several Administrations, including transitional housing, employment and training support, mental health and substance abuse programming, and affordable housing. Without these protections and coordinated HUD-VA planning, well-intended changes could undermine the very tools that have driven national progress on veteran homelessness.

As the nation confronts rising homelessness, including increases in the most recent PIT count, NCHV stands ready to work with HUD, VA, and partners across the sector to ensure that reforms strengthen – not destabilize – the housing resources that protect veterans, including aging and disabled veterans. Any change to the CoC program should reinforce the federal commitment to those who served by safeguarding stability, preventing returns to homelessness, and preserving the proven interventions that have helped communities drive veteran homelessness down.

About NCHV
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state, and federal agencies that work to prevent and end veteran homelessness. Since 1990, NCHV has advanced policy, strengthened programs, and supported communities nationwide in ensuring veterans have access to housing, services, and long-term stability. Learn more at nchv.org.