Who is NCHV?

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by an 17-member board of directors — is 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.

NCHV also serves as the primary liaison between the nation’s care providers, Congress and the Executive Branch agencies charged with helping them succeed in their work. NCHV's advocacy has strengthened and increased funding for virtually every federal homeless veteran assistance program in existence today.

NCHV co-founders meet with VA Secretary R. James Nicholson in 2006. From left, Bill Elmore, Ralph Cooper, Secretary Nicholson, Robert Van Keuren and Michael Blecker.

Under a technical assistance grant awarded by the Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, NCHV provides guidance and information about program development, administration, governance and funding to all of the nation’s homeless veteran service providers. This is achieved through conferences, personal consultations, publications, and this website – the nation’s most comprehensive information resource about homeless veterans and the programs that serve them.

The NCHV staff offers service providers assistance with administrative organization and program development; information about government, foundation and corporate grants; and guidance to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. We operate a toll-free homeless veterans assistance phone line and a comprehensive website to direct those who need help to the people who can provide it.

NCHV was organized in 1990 by a small group of community-based service providers who were troubled by the disproportionately large percentage of homeless people who are veterans and the lack of veteran-specific programs to help them. We opened our Washington, D.C., office in 1993 in order to work more closely with Congress and Executive Branch Agencies to ensure the inclusion of veterans in federal assistance programs.

According to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates, government programs currently available will reach only about 20 percent of America’s homeless veterans. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans is the only national organization specifically dedicated to improving the opportunities for these deserving Americans to regain control of their lives and once again enjoy the freedoms they helped preserve. Our community-based service providers represent 46 states and the District of Columbia, and we offer assistance to any homeless service provider that contacts our office.

NCHV has become recognized as the nation’s leading authority on homeless veterans issues by several agencies and departments of the U.S. government, and has worked in partnership on projects with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. NCHV has helped develop and increase funding for homeless veteran-specific programs such as the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program and the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, both of which are currently funded at their highest levels ever. We helped write and worked to ensure passage of the hallmark Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001, which, if fully implemented, will provide up to $1 billion for homeless veteran service providers and programs.