Housing Instability and Homeless Program Use Among Veterans: The Intersection of Race, Sex, and Homelessness

This study describes race/sex differences in housing instability among veterans and examines whether there are disparities in their access of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) programs. The sample comprised 5,355,858 veterans who responded to VHA’s universal screen for housing instability (Homelessness Screening Clinical Reminder) between October 2012 and March 2016.

Key points include:

• Overall, white men had the lowest rate of positive screens at 2.1%; American Indian/Alaska Native women had the highest rate at 6.3%
• Regardless of sex, white veterans had the lowest rates of housing instability.
• Compared with men, women in each racial category had higher rates of housing instability.

Source: Housing Instability and Homeless Program Use Among Veterans: The Intersection of Race, Sex, and Homelessness, Housing Policy Debate (PDF), February 2020 (PDF)