She's My Sister's Keeper
She's a Leader
A short history on Women in the U.S. military. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that for the first time in history women were able to apply for all combat roles in the U.S. military which started in 2016.
Women Veteran Homelessness
She VET is committed to connecting women Veterans with the resources designed to support their stability, safety, and long-term well-being—particularly those offered through women-centered and Veteran-focused organizations. This mission is directly connected to one of the most urgent challenges facing the Veteran community: housing instability and homelessness.
Women Veterans experiencing housing insecurity can access immediate support by contacting their local VA Medical Center (VAMC) or the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans. These entry points connect women to critical programs and services that help prevent homelessness, stabilize housing, and support long-term independence.
Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has shown that women Veterans often experience a distinct and complex pathway into homelessness. When asked to describe their “downward spiral,” many cited cumulative trauma occurring before, during, and after military service. Common contributing factors include childhood adversity, military sexual trauma (MST), intimate partner violence (IPV), untreated or under-treated mental health conditions such as PTSD, substance use, medical challenges, relationship dissolution, and unemployment.
Homelessness among women Veterans frequently looks different than it does for men. While men are more likely to be unsheltered or utilize emergency shelters, women are more often accompanied by children or dependents. As a result, they tend to seek housing solutions that offer stability and privacy rather than short-term shelter environments. Many women access programs such as Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), which provide rental assistance, case management, and wraparound support tailored to family needs.
Women Veterans may also “double up” with friends or relatives to avoid living on the street—an arrangement that often masks homelessness and makes their housing instability harder to identify through traditional measures.
The VA now routinely screens Veterans for housing instability during outpatient visits, allowing earlier intervention and connection to services. Data show that women Veterans are accessing homelessness prevention and rehousing programs at increasing rates, underscoring both the scope of the issue and the effectiveness of targeted outreach.
Safe, stable, and affordable housing is foundational to long-term recovery. It enables Veterans to pursue employment, maintain family connections, engage in healthcare, and rebuild a sense of safety and purpose. Since 2009, when the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a national initiative to end Veteran homelessness, expanded prevention and housing programs have contributed to a nearly 50 percent reduction in the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness on any given night.
Statistics and findings referenced are drawn from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and peer-reviewed research on Veteran homelessness and housing instability.
Although overall Veteran homelessness has continued to decline over the past several years, women Veterans have not experienced the same progress.
According to the most recent data released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, total Veteran homelessness decreased by approximately 4–5 percent between 2020 and 2023, dropping from 37,252 to 33,574 individuals. However, during that same period, homelessness among women Veterans increased by nearly 24 percent, rising from 3,126 to 3,980.
Preliminary analyses and VA reporting through 2024 indicate that this upward trend among women Veterans has not yet reversed, even as overall Veteran homelessness continues to decline nationally. Women Veterans remain one of the fastest-growing segments of the unhoused Veteran population—particularly single mothers, survivors of military sexual trauma, and those exiting the military without stable support systems.
This disparity highlights a critical gap in housing stability efforts and underscores the urgent need for gender-responsive, trauma-informed housing interventions that address the unique pathways women Veterans face into homelessness.
Sources:
- “The State of Homelessness Among Women Veterans in 2023” — VA News
— Detailed data showing that total Veteran homelessness decreased from 37,252 to 35,574 from 2020–2023, while women Veteran homelessness increased from 3,126 to 3,980.
- Homelessness Among Female Veterans in 2024 — VA News (March 2025)
— Updates on 2023–2024 numbers, including a reported drop in women Veteran homelessness from 3,980 to 3,329.
- Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
— The authoritative nationwide data source for homelessness (point-in-time counts and broader trends), which VA uses to derive Veteran and subgroup estimates.
- HUD January 2023 and 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count Reports
— These reports detail the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night, including veterans, and are used by VA to interpret trends.
- VA Homeless Programs Office & VA Homeless Programs Web Pages
— Context and service statistics about programs that assist women Veterans experiencing homelessness.
As of the most recent national count, approximately 653,100 people in the United States are experiencing homelessness on any given night — the highest number ever recorded.
The ten states with the largest homeless populations account for more than 55% of the nation’s homeless population:
California, New York, Florida, Texas, Washington, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Colorado.
Approximately:
- 28% are experiencing chronic homelessness
- 6–7% are unaccompanied youth under age 25
- 7% are Veterans
These figures reflect data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, based on the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count.
Source:
Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), 2023–2024
https://www.hudexchange.info/homelessness-assistance/ahar
Point-in-Time Count & Housing Inventory Count (HIC)
https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/hdx/pit-hic/
Veterans and Homelessness (RL34024)
https://www.congress.gov/crs-products/
Homelessness Among Female Veterans (2024 Update)
https://www.va.gov/homeless/
https://news.va.gov
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
https://nchv.org/veteran-homelessness/
She VET, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization.
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