As VA Allocates $42M in Grants to Fight Homelessness, Study Finds That Veterans Experiencing Homelessness Who Gain Housing Are More Likely to Get Cancer Screenings

In June, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the availability of $42 million in grants to eligible organizations to assist homeless veterans and those at risk of homelessness with various legal services, and those operations will begin to be funded this month, on October 1, 2025, and continuing until September 30, 2027.¹

The funds are being made available through VA’s Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program and are designed to help veterans in several ways, including:

• Providing veterans with representation in landlord–tenant disputes to prevent eviction
• Assisting with court proceedings for child support, custody, or estate planning
• Helping veterans obtain benefits like disability compensation
• Defending veterans in criminal cases that can prolong or increase their risk of homelessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines, and driver’s license revocation

“Services to help veterans obtain benefits, maintain access to housing, and navigate other common legal issues can make a huge difference in preventing or resolving homelessness,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement at the time.

And there may even be more benefits than these, according to a recently published study that looked at cancer screening rates among homeless veterans.² Researchers reviewed 10 years of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) records between 2011 and 2021. They identified all veterans who were homeless and overdue for colorectal or breast cancer screening at their first VHA clinic visit in the most recent year (the “index” visit), and then tracked housing status for 2 years after that visit. Researchers compared screening rates between veterans who gained housing and those who remained homeless, adjusting the analysis for different factors, including age, health conditions, and the VHA facility where care was received.

Included in the analysis were 117,619 veterans aged 50 to 75 years experiencing homelessness who were eligible but not up-to-date on colorectal screening and 6517 women aged 50 to 75 years experiencing homelessness who were eligible but not up-to-date on breast cancer screening.

Nearly one-half of the colorectal cohort (49.0%) and breast cohort (47.5%) gained housing in the subsequent 24 months.

Veterans who gained housing were more likely to undergo colorectal screening and more likely to undergo breast cancer screening than veterans who continued to experience homelessness, the researchers said, adding that gaining housing may facilitate screening by promoting access to communication, reducing competing priorities, and decreasing vulnerability to external forces such as encampment clearing or theft.

References

1. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA announces $42M in grants to fight veteran homelessness [press release]. June 11, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-announces-42-million-in-grants-to-fight-veteran-homelessness/
2. Decker H, Graham L, Titan A, et al. Is gaining housing associated with higher rates of cancer screening among US veterans experiencing homelessness? Ann Fam Med. 2025;23:330-336.