Commentary: Mobile Outreach for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness—Evidence and Impact
Mobile Outreach for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: Evidence and Impact
In a JAMA Network Open invited commentary, BHHI Associate Director Maria Raven, MD, MPH, examines what early evidence from Veterans Affairs mobile medical units can teach us about outreach, health care access, and homelessness among veterans.
The commentary responds to a study of VA mobile medical units, which were designed to extend care to veterans experiencing homelessness who may not be reached through clinic-based services. Raven notes that the model builds on the VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams, which integrate medical care, behavioral health care, social work, and housing-related services for veterans experiencing homelessness.
Early findings suggest the mobile medical units had limited reach and mixed impacts. Primary care and homeless service use increased slightly, but emergency department use and care costs rose as well. Raven argues that outreach programs should be guided by clear evidence of unmet need, careful evaluation of costs and outcomes, and attention to whether services connect people to ongoing care and housing supports.
The commentary underscores a core lesson for homelessness policy and practice: well-intentioned interventions must be evaluated not only by whether they deliver services, but by whether they improve access, housing stability, health outcomes, and system efficiency for people experiencing homelessness.