Federal money is heading to Texas community organizations to help get homeless veterans off the street and into stable housing through a new round of Department of Veterans Affairs grants. The broader push includes more than $65 million for Texas organizations in fiscal year 2027.
The VA's official FY 2027 Grant and Per Diem award list details per-diem funding awards to community organizations, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The center's Veterans Transitional Living Center works alongside VA counselors to move mentally ill and chronically homeless veterans into permanent housing over two-year placements, per the Opportunity Center for the Homeless. Statewide, Texas community organizations will receive more than $65 million in new federal funding to help homeless veterans and those at risk of losing housing, as reported by KFOX.
KFOX reports the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded $65,478,866 in grants to 33 Texas community organizations, part of a nationwide $1.17 billion distribution to 680 organizations across the country — described as a record-high funding amount. Mark Rielo, director of the El Paso VA Health Care System, said the grants strengthen partnerships with community organizations and help reach veterans with meaningful resources, the station notes.
Why Texas Is Ground Zero for This Push
The scale of the need in Texas is significant. The state is home to an estimated 1,534,356 military veterans as of 2024, the largest overall veteran population in the country, according to the Texas Economic Development Corporation, which notes Texas surpassed California for that distinction and operates 15 active military installations. That demand is matched by state-level backing: the Texas Veterans Commission distributed $46.3 million in more than 200 grants to 175 organizations through its Fund for Veterans' Assistance, per the commission.
Despite the scale of need, the trend lines have been moving in a positive direction. The federal Point-in-Time count recorded 1,837 veterans experiencing homelessness in Texas in January 2024, a 9.7% decline from 2,036 the year before, according to a report from the Odessa American. That state-level drop mirrors a national one: HUD's 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report found veteran homelessness nationwide hit an all-time recorded low of 32,495 individuals during the January 2025 count, a decline of more than 56% since 2010.
Two Funding Tracks, One Goal
The Texas dollars split across two federal programs with distinct purposes. Supportive Services for Veteran Families, or SSVF, funding is intended to prevent the imminent loss of a home and to rapidly re-house homeless veterans and their families who might otherwise remain on the street, per KFOX. That money is intended to help identify new and more suitable housing for veterans and families, and will be distributed through the VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families program.
Grant and Per Diem, or GPD, funding covers a different need: transitional housing with supportive services or service centers, special housing for women veterans, and transition-in-place housing for veterans receiving services while remaining in their current unit. GPD dollars also support special housing for chronically mentally ill, frail, or elderly veterans — the exact category behind El Paso's 20 new beds. Transition-in-place services are designed to help veterans move toward permanent, stable housing, the station reports.
Established in fiscal year 2012, SSVF operates under a Housing First framework targeting low-income veteran households earning 50% or less of area median income, prioritizing immediate housing placement before requiring mental health or employment benchmarks, as Hoodline has . Texas-based Endeavors offers emergency financial aid and shallow rent subsidies covering up to 50% of rent for two years, according to Endeavors.
Statewide Results and a Regional Benchmark
The VA reports it housed 51,936 homeless veterans nationwide in fiscal year 2025, marking the highest number of veterans housed in seven years, according to KFOX. That national effort has been reinforced by long-term voucher programs — by the end of fiscal year 2024, nearly 90,000 veterans were under lease with HUD-VA Supportive Housing vouchers, the highest total recorded in that program's history, per the Odessa American.
Houston VA Healthcare System Executive Director Amir Farooqi said Texas VA medical centers remain dedicated to expanding local community partnerships to reach homeless veterans directly, according to VA Houston Health Care, which notes Texas medical centers coordinate with 33 grant-receiving community non-profits to distribute resources. VA medical centers across Texas remain committed to ensuring veterans have access to safe, stable housing and supportive services, KFOX reports.
Some parts of the state have already reached major milestones. In May 2024, federal housing and veterans officials certified that Dallas and Collin counties had effectively ended veteran homelessness by establishing systems capable of rehousing unhoused veterans within 90 days, a benchmark Hoodline has covered previously as a regional standard other Texas communities are still working toward. The VA has made a full list of SSVF and GPD awardees available online, according to KFOX.
