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

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






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
