HUD HCV Guidebook § 1

This chapter provides information on the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)
program, which is a joint effort between HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to move
Veterans and their families out of homelessness and into permanent housing. Through the HUD-
VASH program, eligible homeless veterans receive housing assistance from local Public Housing
Agencies (PHAs) to rent privately owned housing while receiving case management and clinical and
supportive services from the VA. The combination of intensive case management and long-term
housing assistance makes HUD-VASH a robust resource.

Generally, the HUD-VASH program is administered in accordance with regular HCV program
requirements. However, the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. No. 110-161) and
subsequent Appropriations Acts allow HUD to waive or specify alternative requirements for any
provision of any statute or regulation affecting the HCV program in order to effectively deliver and
administer HUD-VASH voucher assistance. These waivers and alternative requirements are outlined
via Federal Register notices; the most recent notice can be found at FR–5596–N–01, “Section 8
Housing Choice Vouchers: Revised Implementation of the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program.” This
Federal Register notice is more commonly known as the “HUD-VASH Operating Requirements.”

The HUD-VASH program is administered in accordance with applicable fair housing requirements,
including, but not limited to, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the
Fair Housing Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as applicable, and HUD’s Equal Access
Rule. When HUD-VASH recipients include veterans with disabilities or family members with
disabilities, reasonable accommodation standard requirements apply. Civil rights requirements
cannot be waived.

Veterans interested in the HUD-VASH program are recommended to contact the National Call Center
for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AID-VET. Callers will be connected to a trained VA responder who
will ask a few questions to assess needs. Veterans may then be connected with the Homeless
Program point of contact at the nearest VA facility.