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Who Were America’s Homeless and At-Risk Veterans in 2021

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Summary

Who were America’s homeless and at-risk Veterans in 2021? In South Florida, they were overwhelmingly single men with one or more disabilities who had served in the Army.

Who were America's homeless Veterans in 2021
Who were America’s homeless and at-risk Veterans in 2021

In 2021, Operation Sacred Trust served 1,160 Veteran families experiencing homelessness or facing imminent homelessness in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Operation Sacred Trust is a division of Purpose Built Families Foundation and South Florida’s largest VA-funded Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.

According to preliminary data for the year, Veterans receiving assistance from Operation Sacred Trust in 2021 were:

Gender

  • 87% were men

Marital Status

  • 91% were single

Disabilities

  • 68% had one or more disabilities

Branch of service

  • 56% served in the Army

Race/Ethnicity

  • 56% were Black/African American; 16% Hispanic/Latino

Service Era

  • 39% served during the post-Vietnam era; 25% served post 9/11

Annual Household Income

  • 21% had zero annual income
  • 35% had total household income below $10k
  • 65% had total household income below $20k
Eighteen percent of Veterans receiving OST SSVF services served in the Vietnam Era.
Eleven percent of South Florida Veterans receiving assistance to end or prevent homelessness from Operation Sacred Trust’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families program in 2021 served in the Vietnam Era. 39% served post Vietnam; 19% served in the Persian Gulf era; 25% served post 9/11.
Twelve percent of homeless and at-risk Veterans receiving OST SSVF services are female Veterans.
Thirteen percent were Female Veterans.
49 percent of Veterans receiving Operation Sacred Trust SSVF services are living with a disability.
Sixty-eight percent were Living with a Disability.
56 percent of Veterans served by Operation Sacred Trust's SSVF program served in the U.S. Army.
Fifty-six percent were Army Veterans; 20% Navy Veterans; 12% Marine Corps Veterans; 10% Air Force Veterans; 1% Coast Guard Veterans.
59 percent of SSVF Veterans served by OST are Black or African-American.
Fifty-six percent were Black or African-American Veterans; 16% were Hispanic/Latino Veterans.
18 percent of Veterans receiving OST SSVF services are Hispanic or Latino.
80% were single-person households; 11% two-person households; 9% three or more person households. More than 20% of those served had zero household income when they reached Operation Sacred Trust.
Congressman Charlie Crist recently met with formerly homeless Veterans served by Operation Sacred Trust in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to hear their personal stories overcoming homelessness as a result of the federally-funded SSVF program.

Financial Assistance

In 2021, Operation Sacred Trust distributed $2.26 million in Temporary Financial Assistance to help end and prevent homelessness for South Florida very low income Veterans. Funds went to:

  • 48% – Rental Assistance and Security Deposits
  • 23% – Hotel/Motel Vouchers to Keep Veterans Sheltered during the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • 17% – General Housing Stability and Emergency Food Assistance
  • 10% – Moving Costs and Transportation Expenses
Operation Sacred Trust Rent2Veterans campaign
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