Got someone coming in today to apply for an apartment who's a vet with a HUD voucher under a program called HUD VASH. Apparently, it's a program to help homeless and displaced vets. The applicant is a veteran of the Afghan conflict and has supposedly secured a job at Walmart as well. I've not met him yet, but over the phone he screens well. Anyone familiar with this program?

I'll answer the question about VASH first: nope, no clue about that program, but others that sound similar typically have a time limit of 3 months to one year, after that, the Vet is on his/her own. If you want to take this, screen info from BEFORE deployment or whatever the life event was. Were they stable BEFORE? If yes, a much better chance of success. If they were messed up for a decade prior, it is not likely than a 3-12 month program will be enough support.

WMH, the military does a lot for Vets. Those returning from from deployment, especially, which is one event that creates a lot of Vets as many of them get out after the first or second tour. Lots of reintegration/civilian job training programs. From being in the belly of the beast 21+ years, I can say that often the folks that end up in bad situations often had pre-existing conditions that get exacerbated. Most Vets never see combat...they do a lot of stuff regular Govt contractors do. Regular Govt contractors do not have the same rate of bad fallout, but then again they are also a bit more selective on whom they hire. I will say this: quality of candidates affects the outcome. When I worked full-time with recruiters in 2008, an applicant could have up to 5 (FIVE) felony convictions waived and still enlist. Some of those guys/gals are still shaking out of the force.

Oh don't get me wrong, SID. I don't believe every soldier is a hero, not at all. But when we send these guys over for 3-4 tours, they need some help getting back in the game.

The HUD VASH program is typically handled through a local VAMC; a certain number of vouchers are provided from the local Housing Authority (the same group that provides these for the Section 8 program) to be used only for homeless veterans. That's the extent of the input from the Housing Authority. Each VAMC would get a certain number of vouchers to be "rotated" amongst homeless vets.

Each homeless veteran screened and approved into the program is assigned a social worker from the VA who monitors them far more closely than the overworked caseworkers from the Housing Authority. Home visits are done quite regularly. Unlike Section 8 participants, the vouchers are never considered to be used by one vet "forever"; the goal is to get them on their feet financially (i.e., where they can pay rent, utilities, living expenses on their own) and then "their" voucher is passed on to the next homeless veteran on the list.

For a landlord, the contact with the social worker assigned to the veteran is important. If they note a problem, they need to contact that person quickly to get it straightened out. The vets are always told mess ups on their part means their vouchers are revoked.

For a landlord, the biggest problems (again, I'm only speaking about what I saw in my VAMC) were vets who smoked heavily, sometimes drank heavily and, at times, tried to move in other homeless or less desirable folks into their place.