City to Receive 75 Housing Choice Vouchers for Homeless Veterans

Published on February 26, 2024

The City of Tucson applied for and will receive 75 additional Housing Choice Vouchers for homeless veterans, raising the total to more than 700. This will allow more veterans access to permanent housing.

The federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) informed the City’s Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) this week that the additional vouchers, known as VASH, will be available April 1, 2024. The vouchers are administered in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The new VASH vouchers bring the total of all housing vouchers in Tucson to 4,844. Pima County has 877.

“The VASH program is a great collaboration between our local Veterans Administration staff and HCD. It is because of our collaboration and hard work that HUD chose the City of Tucson to receive these additional vouchers to help veterans,” said Terry Galligan, HCD deputy director. "HCD and the City of Tucson welcome the opportunity to support more of our veterans, some of whom have faced more difficult challenges than most people."

According to the 2023 Point in Time County, conducted by the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness, “veteran homelessness decreased by 14 percent from 2022 and is down four percent from 2018.” However, while overall veteran homelessness has decreased, the number of veterans who were unsheltered on the night of the count remains 47 percent higher than in 2018.”

The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program combines HUD's Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the VA.

Landlords interested in participating in HCD’s Housing Choice Voucher program should contact Terry Galligan at terry.galligan@tucsonaz.gov.