There are approximately 1,000 veterans in shelters and on the streets, in their cars, or couch-surfing with family or friends. For a downloadable and printable pdf of the NYC Housing Guide, click here.

VA housing assistance can help Veterans, service members, and their surviving spouses to buy a home or refinance a loan. We also offer benefits and services to help you build, improve, or keep your current home. Find out how to apply for and manage the Veterans housing assistance benefits you’ve earned.

VA HOUSING ASSISTANCE

HUD-VASH Program

The HUD/VASH program from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Department of Veterans Affairs VA to help veterans facing homelessness and their families find and sustain permanent housing under the Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).

The HUD/VASH program works as a rental subsidy that allows veterans to pay a reasonable amount of their income toward their rent. Think of Section 8 for veterans. Eligible veterans will receive a voucher to begin searching for housing. Generally, veterans will pay no more than 40 percent of their adjusted monthly income toward their rent share.

The VA pays the remaining amount to the owner on the veteran's behalf. HUD/VASH participants must comply with all program requirements, including completing their annual certification, accommodating Housing Quality Standards inspections, allowing property owners to make any needed repairs, and adhering to the terms of their lease. VA case managers connect these veterans with additional support services.

Eligibility:

• Veterans must be VA health care eligible (determined by the VA).
• Veterans must also meet the definition of homelessness defined in The McKinney Homeless Assistance Act
• HUD-VASH prioritizes the chronically homeless
• At least one member of the veteran family must meet the documentation requirements of citizenship or eligible immigration status
• Veterans must provide social security numbers for all family members who claim citizenship or eligible immigration status
• No member of the veteran household may have been convicted for production of methamphetamines in federally-assisted housing
• No member of the veteran household may be subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a State sex offender registration program
• The veteran must be within the appropriate income limits for their family size. Income limits can be found on the Section 8 eligibility page.

How to Apply:

Call 877-424-3838 to be connected with your local VA homeless program and apply. Visit the HUD-VASH website for more information. https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp

Eligibility:

Veterans must be VA health care eligible (determined by the VA).

Veterans must also meet the definition of homelessness defined in The McKinney Homeless Assistance Act

HUD-VASH prioritizes the chronically homeless

At least one member of the veteran family must meet the documentation requirements of citizenship or eligible immigration status

Veterans must provide social security numbers for all family members who claim citizenship or eligible immigration status

No member of the veteran household may have been convicted for production of methamphetamines in federally-assisted housing

No member of the veteran household may be subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a State sex offender registration program

The veteran must be within the appropriate income limits for their family size. Income limits can be found on the Section 8 eligibility page.

How to Apply:

Call 877-424-3838 to be connected with your local VA homeless program and apply. 

Visit the HUD-VASH website for more information. https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp 

Call 877-424-3838 to be connected with your local VA homeless program and apply. 

Visit the HUD-VASH website for more information.  

HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing

HUD-VASH Vouchers

2008 - 2022

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)

This collaborative program between HUD and VA combines HUD housing vouchers with VA supportive services to help Veterans who are homeless and their families find and sustain permanent housing. As of December 20, 2023, HUD has allocated nearly 112,000 vouchers to help house Veterans across the country.

How It Works:

Through public housing authorities, HUD provides rental assistance vouchers for privately owned housing to Veterans who are experiencing homelessness. VA case managers may connect these Veterans with support services such as health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling to help them in their recovery process and with their ability to maintain housing in the community. Among VA homeless continuum of care programs, HUD-VASH enrolls the largest number and largest percentage of Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness.

Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL)

EUL Program

Too many Veterans are without safe, affordable housing. At the same time, some VA campuses have real estate that is underused. That’s where VA’s Enhanced-Use Lease program may come in.

EUL is a VA portfolio management tool that allows certain land and buildings to be leased to eligible private entities for approved supportive housing and related projects for homeless and at-risk Veterans. In addition to supportive housing, VA’s EUL partners often provide Veterans with job training, financial management, haircuts, computer and laundry facilities, fitness centers and other services. Veterans and their families are prioritized for EUL developments, which are also convenient to VA health care facilities.

Cynthia (CJ) Cordova

Director

eul.team.management@va.gov

Enhanced Use Leasing (044C)

Supportive Housing

Supportive housing is affordable housing with supportive social services in place for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Supportive housing typically comes in two setting model types: congregate (the only one developers work with) and scattered-site. In the Congregate Housing model, all tenants live in one building and each has his/her own individual room or apartment. Tenants have their own lease and pay rent directly to the landlord. These buildings typically have a rental subsidy connected to the apartment that allows the rent to be very affordable for the tenant. In a scattered-site model, apartments are scattered throughout the city in different buildings owned by private landlords. Leases are most often between the landlord and a non-profit provider. All tenants have a sub-lease and are responsible to contribute 30% of their income towards the rent and utilities. There are supportive housing programs designated for adult families (all adults over 18), for families with children, and for young adults (18-25) aging out of foster care or in a shelter who are pregnant or have children. As with all populations, a 2010e application must be submitted to determine if the head of household is eligible for supportive housing.

The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program combines HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance for homeless Veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA provides these services for participating Veterans at VA medical centers (VAMCs), community-based outreach clinics (CBOCs), through VA contractors, or through other VA designated entities.

HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing

HUD-VASH Vouchers

The Veterans Affordable Housing Program

American Veterans Assistance Group (AVAG) is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization providing low and moderate income families with quality, affordable housing since 1997 and now offers help to veterans and their families through it’s Veterans Assistance Program. This is NOT a government program.

HUD/VASH IMPLEMENTATION

This document sets forth the policies and procedures for the administration of tenant-based and project-based Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance under the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD–VASH) program administered by local public housing agencies (PHAs) that have partnered with local Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities or other entities as designated by the Secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Section 8, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, works as a rental subsidy that allows families to pay a reasonable amount of their income toward their rent. Eligible families will receive a voucher to begin searching for housing. Generally, families will pay no more than 40 percent of their adjusted monthly income toward their rent share. NYCHA pays the remaining amount to the owner on the family's behalf. This payment to the owner is known as the Housing Assistance Payment. Section 8 participants must comply with all program requirements, including completing their annual certification, accommodating Housing Quality Standards inspections, allowing property owners to make any needed repairs, and adhering to the terms of their lease.

Eligibility:

At least one member of the applicant family must meet the documentation requirements of citizenship or eligible immigration status

An applicant must provide social security numbers for all family members who claim citizenship or eligible immigration status

No member of the applicant household may have been convicted for production of methamphetamines in federally-assisted housing

No member of the applicant household may be subject to a lifetime registration requirement under State sex offender registration program

An applicant must be within the appropriate income limits for their family size. Income limits can be found on the Section 8 eligibility page.

How to Apply:

New Section 8/HCV applications are not being accepted at this time. The public will be notified when applications are being accepted again. If you previously submitted a Section 8 application when the waiting list was open, log on to the Self-Service Portal to confirm the receipt of your NYCHA application. Learn more about Section 8.