Partnering To Support Needs - Appropriate Housing For Physically Disabled and Older Veterans - Part

Sep 29, 2026

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Homeless Veterans aged 55+ rose 150% from 2010 to 2023, driving a housing stability crisis. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) programs such as HUD-VASH help Veterans exiting homelessness, but older Veterans and those with physical disabilities need specialized support to sustain independence. This VHA quality improvement project identified barriers and facilitators for HUD-VASH teams and community collaboration in least restrictive settings, and created an implementation blueprint. Qualitative interviews with 18 regional specialists and UCD sessions at two VA medical centers informed an interagency collaboration framework and highlighted key challenges and future evaluation needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Problem and context

Study approach and data sources

Analytical framework for collaboration

Key barriers and challenges

Implementation blueprint and next steps

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 521 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1780 PARTNERING TO SUPPORT NEEDS-APPROPRIATE HOUSING FOR PHYSICALLY DISABLED AND OLDER VETERANS Anushka Sista1, Jennifer Palmer1, and Nathan Boucher2, 1. Veterans Administration, Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, 2. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States The number of homeless Veterans aged 55 and older increased by 150% from 2010 to 2023, creating a significant housing stability crisis. While the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides programs like Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) to support Veterans transitioning out of homelessness; older Veterans and those living with physical disabilities require specialized assistance to maintain independence. This VHA quality improvement project aimed to identify barriersand facilitatorsto HUD-VASH teams and community collaboration as they support Veterans living in least restrictive settings and to develop an implementation blueprint to guide optimal collaboration. We conducted qualitative interviews with 18 regional HUD-VASH geriatric specialists across VHA nationally and facilitated user-centered design (UCD) sessions with VHA staff and community agency representatives at two VA medical centers. Our integrated analysis from the interview and UCD datasets used Shepherd et al.’s framework for interagency collaboration, including elements such as Memoranda of Understanding, Shared Goals, Policies and Procedures, Role Descriptions, Information Sharing, and Regular Meetings. Key challenges included communication barriers, administrative complexity, resource limitations, partnership difficulties, and Veteran-specific obstacles. Geographic diversity, unclear role definitions, and lack of centralized information sharing were major barriers to effective collaboration. Many findings applied to multiple framework elements. Our integrated data informed an implementation blueprint for potential implementation by VHA HUD-VASH teams nationwide. This project offers a structured approach to addressing the complex housing needs of aging and physically disabled Veterans through improved community collaboration. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation blueprint in practice.

FAQs

What housing problem does the project address?

The project addresses the rapid increase in homelessness among Veterans aged 55 and older and the housing stability crisis that followed from 2010 to 2023.

How did the team study barriers and facilitators for collaboration?

It used qualitative interviews with 18 regional HUD-VASH geriatric specialists and user-centered design (UCD) sessions with VHA staff and community agency representatives at two VA medical centers.

What were the major barriers to effective HUD-VASH community collaboration?

Major barriers included communication obstacles, administrative complexity, resource limits, partnership difficulties, geographic diversity, unclear role definitions, and lack of centralized information sharing.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by dhado