2025 Annual Report is out now. Check it out!
get care
Donate today
It ends when housing is paired with consistent, relational support that helps people age in place, stay healthy, and remain connected to care.
Veterans and service providers advocated for a better model to meet growing needs among high-acuity and aging veterans. California listened - and is now piloting a service-rich housing model.
Now in its third year, this Pilot shows how enhanced services embedded in supportive housing sites can support housing stability, strengthen health and social connection, enhance quality of life, and reduce reliance on high-cost emergency care.
Swords to Plowshares provides technical assistance;
RAND serves as an independent impact evaluator.
An enhanced supportive services model designed to help aging and high-acuity veterans remain stably housed, improve health and quality of life, and strengthen operations across permanent supportive housing sites.
Services are delivered by staff embedded within housing sites, ensuring veterans receive support from consistent, on-site teams. This approach builds trust, strengthens relationships, and increases engagement.
Services include:
With 515 veterans enrolled statewide and 250 completing at least one full year of participation, the interim results show consistent improvements in housing stability, health, and daily life.
.avif)
of participants remained housed.
experienced negative exits (eviction, incarceration, return to homelessness).
decrease in emergency room visits and ambulance/911 calls.
decline in missed medical appointments.
decline in alcohol use.
decline in unmet companionship needs.
reduction in cleanliness complaints.
as many veterans eating three meals a day (34% to 68%).
Compared to those less engaged, veterans who participated in three or more group programs saw stronger outcomes across health, stability, and service use:
more likely to report good or very good health.
less likely to use emergency medical care.
reduction in habitability complaints (e.g., hoarding, cleanliness, and pests, which can lead to eviction proceedings when unaddressed).
The interim results are in: 515 veterans are stably housed. Emergency care use is down. Preventable exits are rare.
This pilot demonstrates enhancing on-site services within permanent supportive housing can prevent returns to homelessness while reducing overall public costs - by lowering emergency care use, preventing premature transitions to higher levels of care, supporting wellness, and avoiding eviction. With a modest investment of approximately $15,000 per resident annually, the Pilot model delivers a preventive, cost-effective, and scalable model - even for individuals with the most complex needs.
But the Pilot’s funding ends in 2026. Sustaining and scaling this model requires partners who believe what the evidence shows: that housing paired with consistent and integrated support saves lives and saves money.
Ready to get involved? Contact us via email at policy@stp-sf.org to partner, invest, and learn more.
.svg){kind=logo}
