Supporting Age-Friendly, Supported Housing for Aging and Physically Disabled Veterans

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Public Health Policy
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Homelessness among Veterans aged 55 and older increased by 150% between 2010 and 2023, indicating a severe housing crisis.
• The Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program provides support, but aging and disabled Veterans may need more specialized assistance.
• A tailored approach is crucial for implementing HUD-VASH initiatives effectively for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers and facilitators for effective community collaborative efforts within the HUD-VASH program.
• To develop an implementation blueprint for optimizing partnerships to support aging and disabled Veterans.
• To enhance housing stability for vulnerable Veteran populations.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 HUD-VASH Geriatric Specialists across the United States.
• User-centered design sessions were held with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) staff and community agencies in two major healthcare systems.
• The Shepherd (et al.) collaboration framework guided the research methodology.

Main Results:

• Key challenges identified include communication issues, administrative hurdles, resource shortages, and undefined roles.
• Geographic diversity and limited information sharing were also significant barriers to collaboration.
• The study highlighted the need for clearer processes and better resource allocation.

Conclusions:

• The findings provide a blueprint to improve collaboration and housing stability for aging and disabled Veterans.
• Implementing this blueprint can enhance the effectiveness of HUD-VASH partnerships.
• Further research is recommended to evaluate the blueprint's efficacy for national implementation.