This is how VA reaches justice-involved Veterans to avoid homelessness

Early legal support and care help justice‑involved Veterans avoid homelessness and find stability

Navigating housing instability is challenging on its own, and involvement in the criminal justice system can make it even harder for Veterans to find stability. For many Veterans, these two experiences are interconnected, with involvement in one increasing the risk of the other. A record can follow Veterans to every job interview, appear on housing applications, and surface during custody hearings, while housing instability can increase the likelihood of criminal justice system involvement.

In fiscal year 2025, justice-involved Veterans served by VA represented less than 1% of all Veterans in the United States, yet they were 6.2 times more likely to experience homelessness than Veterans without justice involvement. Challenges like not having legal identification, unresolved debt and limited access to employment can quickly place stable housing out of reach.

However, connecting justice-involved Veterans to legal services and VA resources early in their re-entry can help prevent the housing instability and homelessness that often follow.

View our infographic on risk factors of justice-involved Veterans.

Legal barriers that can increase the risk of homelessness

For many Veterans, homelessness is not caused by a single event. It often results from overlapping personal, social and systemic factors that make it hard to find stability.

Some Veterans are already managing physical or mental health challenges connected to their service. When these conditions go untreated, they can increase the likelihood of substance use or behaviors that lead to incarceration. Among justice-involved Veterans served by VA in FY 2025, 82% were managing a mental health disorder, 59% had at least one substance use disorder and 69% had service-connected disabilities.

When these challenges intersect with the demands of the legal system, barriers can quickly compound. Veterans may lose their driver’s license or government-issued identification during incarceration, making it difficult to apply for jobs, sign a lease or access financial services. At the same time, legal fines, court or attorney fees, and unresolved citations can build up and create additional financial strain, forcing Veterans to make difficult choices between paying for legal fees and debts, covering basic needs like healthcare or keeping up with rent.

Even after finding a job, maintaining employment can be difficult. Court dates, required classes, and regular check-ins can conflict with work schedules. Missing one obligation can lead to job loss, and losing income can quickly put housing at risk.

Understanding how these challenges intersect helps explain why justice-involved Veterans face higher risks of homelessness, and why early support matters.

Intervening before a housing crisis begins

Through the Veterans Justice Programs (VJP), VA works within courts, jails and other criminal justice settings to reach justice-involved Veterans early and connect them with services that support long-term stability.

VJP consists of three key components: the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program, which connects Veterans in courts and jails to VA services; Health Care for Re-entry Veterans (HCRV), which provides outreach and referrals for Veterans returning home after incarceration; and Legal Services for Veterans (LSV), which awards grants and establishes partners that help address civil legal issues that can create barriers to housing and stability.

Across these efforts, specialists meet justice-involved Veterans at critical points in their re-entry journey and help connect them with the services and benefits they have earned and need, including medical care, mental and substance use treatment, and housing resources.

This work makes a real, lasting difference for Veterans. For example, Marine Corps Veteran Taylor West was able to avoid incarceration, achieve sobriety and get the help he needed after being connected to a treatment program offered by the Veterans Treatment Court. Similarly, after being convicted of multiple charges, Navy Veteran Tim Healy was connected to VA’s Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, where he overcame years of substance use and began addressing underlying challenges of depression and isolation. Today, Healy works as a peer specialist at the very same program that supported his recovery.

Every Veteran’s path is different, but the right resources at the right time can mean the difference between a housing crisis and a stable path forward. When legal, health and housing challenges are addressed together, Veterans are equipped with a stronger foundation to move forward.

Learn about VA programs

• To find a Veterans Justice Outreach specialist near you, use the contact list.
• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.
• Learn more about how VA helps Veterans experiencing homelessness with more than just housing services. 
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
• Get involved with housing homeless Veterans.