On a cold January night in 2023, the Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 31,301 veterans sleeping in shelters or on the streets in the United States — a single data point that hides thousands of personal histories: tours of duty, skills learned under pressure, and the sudden unmooring that can come after service. For one veteran, a classroom and a case manager meant the difference between another winter unsheltered and a steady job. For many others, that path is still out of reach. (HUD 2023 PIT count)
How Education Rewrites the Story
Education is more than a credential; it is a bridge from instability to independence. The Post-9/11 GI Bill and related VA education benefits provide tuition support, a monthly housing allowance, and book stipends that can help veterans re-enter civilian life as students and then as professionals. Learn the basics of those benefits at the VA: VA Education and GI Bill overview. Campus-based groups like Student Veterans of America help veterans navigate classrooms, childcare, and career services so that education is not just possible, but effective.Organizations Turning Data Into Solutions
Nonprofits and community partners are the hands-on answer to these numbers. Swords to Plowshares provides housing, legal aid, and employment support to help veterans rebuild. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans coordinates best practices for rapid rehousing and policy change nationwide. Together, these groups show that targeted support — especially when it includes education and stable housing — leads to measurable recovery."Our mission is simple: to end homelessness among veterans so they can live with dignity and purpose." — National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
Facts matter: the HUD count links the scale of the challenge to the urgency of solutions, and the VA education programs link those solutions to proven tools. But policy and programs need public will and private support to scale.
Get Involved
- Donate or volunteer: Contribute to local groups like Swords to Plowshares or national networks like the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
- Hire a veteran or support hiring programs: Reach out to campus veteran centers through Student Veterans of America to create internships and job pipelines.
- Advocate: Ask local and federal representatives to protect education benefits and fund veteran housing programs using the HUD data as evidence.
Numbers can numb or mobilize. The story of every veteran behind the HUD count is a call to action: with housing, training, and a community that believes in second chances, lives change. Support a veteran’s next step today — donate, volunteer, hire, or simply share reliable information with your network. Small acts multiplied will turn that chilling statistic into a shrinking one.
