“I expect to be homeless when I transition.”

Those words came from an active-duty service member preparing to leave the military in October 2026. She planned to relocate to Texas but did not have safe, stable housing waiting for her.

She was trying to prepare before the crisis occurred. She also lacked documents she believed were necessary to begin applying for VA assistance. Although she was still serving, the possibility of homelessness was already shaping her transition.

Her experience reflects a larger problem. Service members may receive information about employment, benefits and relocation without leaving the military with a coordinated housing plan. Once their military structure and housing end, they can be left to navigate several unfamiliar systems at the same time.

Mission Roll Call’s article,“What I Wish I Knew About Transition,” examines how quickly military structure can disappear after separation. For service members already anticipating homelessness, the final months of service should become an active period of housing planning, documentation and confirmed connections to local assistance.

National Progress and the Veterans Still at Risk
The January 2025 Point-in-Time Count identified 32,495 veterans experiencing homelessness on a single night. That represented the lowest number recorded since federal reporting began in 2009 and a 56.1% decline since 2010. VA Point-in-Time Count

That progress matters, but a one-night count cannot capture every veteran approaching homelessness, living temporarily with others or struggling to keep an unsafe home habitable. It also cannot fully account for service members who know they may become homeless after separation but have not yet entered the civilian homelessness system.

Preventing homelessness in these circumstances requires action before the veteran reaches a shelter, vehicle or street.

The transitioning service member needed help documenting her anticipated homelessness, obtaining military and medical records and coordinating with transition personnel before
separation. She also needed early connections with veteran housing providers and a confirmed plan for where she would stay after relocating.

A list of telephone numbers alone could not provide that security. Each referral required a call, eligibility screening, documentation, follow-up and a clearly identified next step.

Housing Instability Has Different Starting Points
Recent requests for assistance show how quickly housing instability can emerge under different circumstances.

One veteran became homeless after losing a federal position during a reduction in force. His professional background remained valuable, but the sudden loss of employment disrupted his income and housing. He needed emergency housing coordination and employment assistance at the same time.

Another veteran, a 74-year-old homeowner in Illinois, faced displacement after storm damage left his home without dependable electricity. He was relying on a portable generator, and the estimated electrical repair cost was approximately $20,000. Preserving his housing required coordination among insurance, veteran assistance, home-repair programs and licensed contractors.

These veterans entered housing instability through different doors. One was preparing to leave military service, one was already homeless after an employment disruption, and one was at risk of losing the safe use of a home he owned.

Together, their circumstances demonstrate why veteran homelessness cannot be addressed through a single program or standard referral. Communities must be prepared to prevent homelessness, respond when it occurs and preserve existing housing before it is lost.

A Referral Is Only the First Step
In more than 25 years of helping veterans navigate homelessness and housing, I have seen how often a referral is mistaken for a resolution.

Giving a veteran a telephone number does not confirm that the call was answered, that the program had funding or that the veteran qualified. It does not show whether an appointment occurred, whether documentation was accepted or whether safe housing was actually available.

Effective housing navigation requires follow-through. Someone must help the veteran understand the process, gather the necessary records, complete screenings and determine what happens when the first resource cannot help.

That coordination becomes especially important when several problems are occurring together. A veteran may need housing, employment, health care, benefits assistance, transportation and legal or financial support during the same period. Requiring the veteran to coordinate those systems alone places another burden on someone already experiencing instability.

These cases document the beginning of the intervention process. They do not yet establish that permanent housing was secured, repairs were completed or long-term stability was achieved. That distinction matters because the success of a housing response must be measured by outcomes as well as referrals.

Housing Creates a Foundation for Recovery
Stable housing creates the physical and emotional space veterans need to address other parts of their lives. Health care, employment, family responsibilities and recovery become more difficult when someone does not know where they will sleep or whether they can remain in their home.

A veteran who receives a lease and keys may still need health care, benefits assistance, transportation, employment support and connection to people they trust. Housing establishes a foundation, but stabilization continues after move-in.

The keys matter, and so does what happens afterward.

Preparing Communities and Housing Providers
Communities need qualified property owners and housing operators who understand the veteran systems with which they plan to work. Interest in serving veterans does not automatically create a safe or sustainable housing program.

Before acquiring a property, prospective providers should determine which veteran population they intend to serve, how referrals will be received, which housing model applies and how the
program will be funded. They must also understand fair housing requirements, inspections, leasing, occupancy standards, resident privacy and the limits of their role.

Program design should guide property acquisition. Service partnerships should be established before veterans move into a property, and funding expectations should be confirmed before housing is promised.

Without that preparation, a well-intentioned project can encounter zoning problems, inadequate staffing, unrealistic budgets or a lack of qualified referrals. Veterans carry the greatest consequences when those programs fail.

Connecting Prevention, Placement and Stability
Ending veteran homelessness requires communities to work across the full housing continuum.

Service members approaching separation need prevention planning. Veterans already experiencing homelessness need rapid access to housing and supportive services. Aging homeowners need help preserving safe and habitable housing. Property owners need education and established relationships with qualified referral partners.

A stronger national response connects these responsibilities instead of leaving veterans to navigate them independently. It begins before a housing crisis, continues through placement and follows the veteran after the immediate emergency has passed.

The measure of success is greater than the number of referrals issued or leases signed. We must also ask whether the veteran remained safe, retained housing, regained control and had a dependable path forward.

Housing stability should not depend on whether a veteran happens to reach the right person at the right time. Communities need coordinated systems capable of responding wherever a veteran enters the housing continuum.

To learn more about Mission Roll Call’s work uplifting veteran voices and advancing effective housing solutions, visit our Homelessness page: https://missionrollcall.org/spotlight-priorities/housing-and-homelessness/

Mission Roll Call is committed to listening first. If you are a veteran, family member, caregiver or community partner, we invite you to share your story with us. Your experiences guide our advocacy and help us push for the changes veterans say matter most.

Your voice matters here. We encourage veterans, families, caregivers and supporters to share their experiences through Mission Roll Call’s national surveys. Your stories help shape policy, raise awareness and ensure veterans are seen and heard:https://missionrollcall.org/surveys/

Understanding the truth brings us one step closer to ensuring every veteran has what they deserve: stability, dignity and a place to call home.

About the Author
Yvette Jones-Swanson, M.A., is a writer and Mission Roll Call’s subject-matter expert on veteran homelessness and housing. A U.S. Army veteran, former homeless veteran and survivor of military sexual trauma, she brings more than 22 years of frontline experience as a Veterans REAL TOR® and housing advocate.