Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia chose Veterans Day as the right time to announce that his state was the first in the country to fully end homelessness among military veterans, as defined by the federal government. The Washington Post reported that the homelessness designation signifies that there are no homeless veterans in Virginia who haven't turned down offers for state-sponsored housing. Those veterans who rejected the offers are not included in the calculation.
As part of meeting the federal government's designation, a state is required to find a residence for a veteran within 90 days of their homeless status, in addition to having more homes available than there are identified homeless veterans, in case new men or women should need shelter in their life after service. Virginia is the first state to fully meet these requirements. Syracuse and Schenectady in New York, as well as Las Vegas, have also met the criteria.
The Post stated that Virginia's House of Delegates has invested almost $2 million to fight veteran homelessness and improve educational benefits and employment programs since last year. In 2014, several cities in the state participated in a 100 day federal challenge to improve the homeless situation. By the end of the 100 days, 462 veterans had homes or were in the process of getting one.