For 2024 Veterans Day on the Hill, in record numbers, Veterans and passionate activists descended upon our state capitol to remind decision-makers of Veterans’ past service to the country and make new urgent calls for action. A loud roar echoed through each stage – from pre-session gatherings and marched up Capitol Hill to culminating in cheering rallies inside the rotunda!

Our Metro Regional Director, Kurt Johnson, was one of many speakers addressing veterans’ issues. Kurt shared updates on MACV successes from 2023, such as:

• Serving 2,654 Veterans.  
• 500 Veterans ended their period of homelessness last year. 
• MACV providing 175 Veterans with permanent housing that we now own or operate, and those Veterans will be able to call those places home for as long as they want thanks to the Veterans Stable Housing Opportunities initiative supported by our legislators and partners at Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.  
• 42% of the Veterans MACV assisted lived in Greater Minnesota. The remaining 58% lived in the 7-county Twin Cities metro, which shows that this effort is worth supporting in every community across our state.  
• 68% of those needing assistance had a documented disability, and that includes 52% whose disabilities were service-related. 
• 50% were 55 or older, and 50% were also parents. 
• 36% of those who received assistance are post 9/11 Veterans. 

Kurt also shared the story of Vietnam Veteran Larry. Larry spent nearly 15 years homeless, bouncing around the country, wrestling with services and bureaucratic red tape, until he finally decided to come home to Minnesota. Other states didn’t have a place for him to call home, but Minnesota had him approved for his own lease within three weeks of picking up the phone and asking for help because that’s the kind of state we are in! Larry’s story is the kind of story we want to tell about anyone who has taken a knee and needs help standing back up.

It’s an exciting time to serve Veterans in Minnesota, but let me be clear: Our job will never be done. It takes diligence and unwavering support to ensure someone’s episode of homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recuring. It takes a community of people who believe in this mission stepping up today and every other day to get this work done.

Our hats off to the MN Disabled American Veterans for organizing the event! Together, we can end Veteran homelessness and support Veterans living in Minnesota right now! Click here for legislative agenda updates from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.