One of the biggest challenges in getting homeless veterans connected to resources, advocates say, is often simply staying in touch with the thousands who live on the streets. A new rule announced last week reestablishes benefits last offered under a COVID-era program in which the Department of Veterans Affairs will provide tablets, smartphones, disposable phones and related service plans to homeless veterans. Eligible veterans are those who would be “unable to maintain contact” with VA services without the assistance. A problem with unclear dataThere isn’t one official number of homeless veterans that advocates agree on, but adding available data together creates a full picture, Monet said. The most recent Department of Housing and Urban Development’s point-in-time national homeless count reported 32,495 homeless veterans on a night in January 2025.