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Fewer than 185 Veterans were homeless on a given night in January 2018 in Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HUD report is fresh evidence that the work underway by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its federal and community partners to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans produces the intended results.

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The 2018 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count--an annual HUD-led enumeration of America's homeless population-- reveals overall homelessness among Veterans is down 16.9 percent in Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties.

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The Orlando VA Medical Center works closely with the Continuum of Care (CoC) and several community partners. The local reduction of Veteran homelessness is a result of many partners and stakeholders collaborating to maximize resources. Participation in a Coordinated Entry System (CES), has helped target different types of resources with the most appropriate need. While our most vulnerable homeless Veterans may need Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), some are successfully housed through Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) and other programs.

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PIT Count data provides a national "snapshot" of homelessness on a given night in America. It is one of many tools VA staff and partner agencies use to determine where to target resources to help homeless Veterans or those at-risk of homelessness. Nationally, the PIT Count shows that fewer than 38,000 Veterans were homeless on a single night in January 2018--a 5.4 percent decrease since January 2017 and a nearly 50 percent decline since January 2010. The number of unsheltered homeless Veterans decreased by nearly 5 percent between January 2017 and January 2018. To date, 64 communities of varying sizes and three states, have effectively ended Veteran homelessness. The PIT Count results show we are continuing to make progress locally and nationally.

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"We are proud of the progress of VA and its partner organizations in helping homeless and at-risk Veterans become and remain stably housed," said Michael Taylor, VA Director of Homeless Veterans Outreach. "While there's more work to be done, the data reported today by HUD shows that the evidence-based strategies that we are using to help Veterans exit homelessness are producing positive and lasting results for Veterans who lack stable housing."

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VA has a wide range of programs that prevent and end homelessness for Veterans, including health care, housing solutions, job training and education. In FY 2017 alone, more than 50,000 Veterans found permanent housing and supportive services through VA's continuum of homeless programs. Between October 2010 and September 2017, more than 600,000 Veterans and their family members were prevented from becoming homeless or received permanent housing.

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More information about VA programs for homeless Veterans is available at www.va.gov/homeless. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless should contact their local VA Medical Center and ask to speak to a Homeless Coordinator or call 1-877-4AID-VET.