Homeless Veterans

Veterans who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness should contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans for assistance. If a Veteran does not have access to a phone or the internet, then he/she can visit the nearest VA medical center. If visiting, it’s encouraged that the Veteran contact the VA facility before visiting to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Local Resources

211 Sacramento: Homeless
Find information on housing/shelters, resources/services, transportation, food/meals, personal care, clothing/laundry & health care/mental health/substance abuse.

Sacramento County Emergency Family Shelter Reservations
To be eligible for services at one of the emergency family shelters, your family must include at least one legal parent/guardian of children under the age of 18 or 19 and enrolled in high school. If your family is currently homeless and living in a car, tent, or somewhere unsafe, please continue to complete this registration. If you are currently housed but need support, please call 2-1-1 and ask to speak with someone about diversion assistance. Onsite computer services and resources to register are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the following locations:

  • 2700 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821
  • 5747 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660
  • 3960 Research Drive, Sacramento, CA 95838
  • 10013 Folsom Boulevard, Rancho Cordova, CA 95827
  • 2450 Florin Road, Sacramento, CA 95822
  • 210 North Lincoln Way, Galt, CA 95632

Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) | COVID-19
The mission is to revitalize communities, provide affordable housing opportunities and to serve as the Housing Authority for the City and County of Sacramento.

Sacramento Loaves & Fishes
A non-profit organization dedicated to providing warm meals, essential survival supplies and services for nearly 1,000 adults and children daily.
Address: 1351 North C Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (916) 446-0874

Sacramento Self-Help Housing (SSHH)
Dedicated to assisting the community’s unhoused to maintain affordable, safe, and permanent housing. This can be difficult in today’s housing market.
Phone: (916) 341-0593

Sacramento Steps Forward | COVID-19
A nonprofit committed to ending homelessness in the region through collaboration, innovation, and connecting people to services. Walking side-by-side with partners, Sacramento Steps Forward seeks to provide people experiencing homelessness with the support and services they need to find stability and long term housing.

Salvation Army in the Sacramento Area
In providing its programs and services, The Salvation Army is committed to accommodating all those in need without unlawful discrimination or harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic in accordance with its capacity to help.

VA Northern California Health Care System (NCHCS): Homeless Veterans | COVID-19
VA’s specialized programs for homeless Veterans serve hundreds of thousands of homeless and at-risk Veterans each year. Independently and in collaboration with federal and community partners, VA programs provide Veterans with housing solutions, employment opportunities, health care, justice- and reentry-related services and more. Learn more about these programs VA’s Programs for At-Risk Veterans and Their Families page.

Volunteers of America Northern California & Northern Nevada (VOA NCNN) | COVID-19
One of the largest providers of social services in the region, operating more than 40 programs including housing, employment services, substance abuse and recovery services to families, individuals, veterans, seniors, and youth. In fact, VOA NCNN provides shelter or housing to over 2,800 men, women and children every night. Nationally, Volunteers of America helps more than 2.5 million people annually in more than 400 communities.

VA Resources

Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

  • Housing
    • U.S. Department of Housing & 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.
    • Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
      For very low-income Veterans, SSVF provides case management and supportive services to prevent the imminent loss of a Veteran’s home or identify a new, more suitable housing situation for the individual and his or her family; or to rapidly re-house Veterans and their families who are homeless and might remain homeless without this assistance.
    • Homeless Providers Grant & Per Diem (GPD) Program
      State, local and tribal governments and nonprofits receive capital grants and per diem payments to develop and operate transitional housing and/or service centers for Veterans who are homeless.
    • Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program
      This program encompasses residential care for sheltered and unsheltered Veterans with multiple challenges, illnesses or rehabilitative care needs. DCHV provides a structured setting to foster Veterans’ independence and mutual support.
  • Employment
    • Homeless Veteran Community Employment Services (HVCES)
      Under this program, each VA Medical Center (VAMC) has received funding to hire new vocational development specialists who are serving as Community Employment Coordinators (CECs) to boost employment outcomes for Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
    • Compensated Work Therapy (CWT)
      CWT is comprised of the transitional work and supported employment program, which assists homeless Veterans in returning to competitive employment.
  • Health Care
    • Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV)
      This program offers outreach, case management and residential treatment services to help Veterans transition from living on the street or in institutions to stable housing situations.
    • Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams (H-PACTs) Program
      Located on the campuses of VA medical centers (VAMCs), community-based outpatient clinics and Community Resource and Referral Centers, H-PACT clinics provide a coordinated “medical home” tailored to the needs of homeless Veterans. They integrate clinical care, social services, enhanced access and community coordination.
    • Homeless Veteran Dental Program
      This other important resource provides Veterans who are homeless with dental treatment through programs such as Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment, VA Grant and Per Diem, Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Residence, Health Care for Homeless Veterans (contract bed) and Community Residential Care. VA is working to expand dental care to all eligible Veterans.
  • Justice- & Reentry-Related Services

Additional Resources

American Legion: Support for Homeless Veterans
The Legion provides free guidance for Veterans in need.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV): Homeless Veterans | COVID-19
The DAV Homeless Veterans Initiative, supported by DAV’s Charitable Service Trust and Columbia Trust, promotes the development of supportive housing and necessary services to assist homeless veterans become productive, self-sufficient members of society.

Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA): Veteran Housing Resources | 1-855-917-2743
Quick Reaction Force is here for any veteran and family member who is currently homeless or at risk of homelessness. QRF works closely with VA housing programs as well as both local and national programs to ensure that every veteran has swift access to quality shelter and safe housing options.

National Alliance to End Homeless: Veterans | COVID-19
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) | COVID-19
The resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.

U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment & Training Service: Homeless Veteran’ Reintegration Program
An employment focused competitive grant program of the Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS), the only federal grant to focus exclusively on competitive employment for homeless veterans.

Veterans Crisis Line: Homeless Veterans Crisis Chat
Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can make the call to or chat online with the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, where trained counselors are ready to talk confidentially 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA): Homeless Veterans
VVA’s homeless veterans program is dedicated to ending veteran homelessness through several short-term and long-term initiatives. Its primary form of outreach is the “stand-down,” — a three-day, two-night event to provide veterans with medical exams, haircuts, clean clothes, food, and a safe night’s sleep — which it organizes multiple times throughout the year.