The unique challenges of building permanent supportive housing for female veterans : a comparative case study

Abstract

In 2009, President Barack Obama and mayors around the country pledged to end veteran homelessness by 2015. Although their collaborative efforts led to a dramatic decrease in the rate of homelessness among veterans, the number of homeless female veterans peaked during the same period. The federal and state governments have increased the amount of permanent supportive housing units to address this rising homeless population, but experts have cited several reasons for stagnant rates of homelessness among female veterans. Many female veterans are unaware of housing opportunities, confused about identifying as a veteran, and/or perceive veteran housing as incompatible. Reasons for the perceived incompatibility of veteran housing by female veterans include the impression that it is an unsafe living environment, inaccessibility to supportive services such as childcare, and a lack of privacy. This thesis is a comparative case study of three veteran housing developments in Boston: Patriot Homes, New England Center and Home for Veterans (NECHV), and Brighton Marine. These cases explore how developers in Boston navigated the development process to provide housing for female veterans. This thesis examines such obstacles to building veteran housing as general development barriers, permitting issues, design requirements, and funding needs. Several recommendations for ending female veterans' homelessness are offered and focused on improving the development process using design, data, and policy.