Document Type
Poster
Date
4-10-2025
Keywords
Veteran, Homeless, VA, Benefits, Grants, Housing, LSV-H
Campus Community
College of Law
Language
English
Funder(s)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Disciplines
Military and Veterans Studies
Description/Abstract
Ending and preventing homelessness among Veterans is a priority for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2022, the VA created the Legal Services for Homeless Veterans (LSV-H) grant program, providing funds for legal services organizations to deliver essential legal aid to homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness. As one of only three law schools that are current LSV-H grant recipients, the Syracuse University Veterans Legal Clinic provides legal aid to homeless veterans in the areas of housing, income support (VA disability), access to healthcare, and requests to upgrade military discharge or dismissal of a former member of the Armed Forces. These services have proven to be critical for the long-term stability of these veterans and effective in furthering the goal of eliminating veteran homelessness. The Veterans Legal Clinic delivers these legal services through law school student attorneys enrolled in the Clinical Education program. Law school students represent real Veteran clients in the Syracuse community through referrals from the Syracuse VA Medical Center's Health Care for Homeless Veterans program. Law school students are on site each week at Altamont, a transitional housing program for homeless Veterans. By representing real Veteran clients, law school students gain an understanding of military culture, interact with government agencies, develop case management skills, and learn how to advocate for a Veteran. Students at the College of Law benefit from hands-on legal experience with Veteran clients, and the community benefits when Veterans receive critical legal services that may create barriers to housing stability.
Recommended Citation
Kubala, Elizabeth; Owens, Seth M.; and Patterson, Andrew M., "Legal Services for Homeless Veterans: New VA Grants Aim to Provide Critical Services to Veterans in Crisis" (2025). Voices of Service Symposium. 14.
https://surface.syr.edu/vos/14
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
