Efforts continue to end Veteran homelessness in southeast Minnesota
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Efforts continue to combat veteran homelessness in southeastern Minnesota.
According to data released at the end of 2024 by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness in the United States jumped by 18%, with more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2024.
However, veterans were one group that saw improvement in their long-term housing prospects. Homelessness among veterans decreased by nearly 8% from last year to the lowest number on record, from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024.
The Minnesota Assistance of Council for Veterans (MACV) has had a mission to end veteran homelessness for more than 30 years.
MACV uses the state’s homeless veteran registry to help coordinate case management. MACV staff and community members meet every two weeks to discuss solutions for every veteran on the list.
There are currently 15 veterans on the registry for the southeastern region, and close to 200 statewide. According to MACV Southern Regional Director Sadie Rezac, although there is a lot of progress that’s been made, there is still a lot that needs to be done.
“It looks really good on paper, you know with 15-ish, but I would bet that there’s more out there that we’re just not aware of and they probably aren’t aware that we exist or that all these resources exist to help them in their situation,” she said.
Last spring, MACV opened an eight-unit apartment complex in Rochester. There are currently five veterans living there with the three other units under renovation.