Local opinion: A veteran’s call to action on homelessness

As I reflect on my mother’s journey as a veteran, I am reminded of the struggles many veterans face upon returning home. While she did not see combat, her experience navigating the challenges of life after service was fraught with difficulties. For nearly three years, she found herself facing homelessness — a fate that far too many veterans endure. Today, she has emerged from that darkness with a steady career and renewed sense of hope. The same Veteran programs that saved her life are now under threat from reckless and dangerous budget cuts pushed by the Trump Administration.

This issue hits close to home — not just because of my mother’s experience, but because I, too, served in the U.S. Air Force. My father is a veteran as well. Our family’s story is one of service, but also of survival. And we are not alone.

The statistics are staggering. Nationwide, over 37,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, including hundreds in Tucson. These veterans — many with PTSD, combat trauma, or chronic health conditions — often struggle to access stable housing and care. And the situation is set to worsen. Trump’s proposed 2025 budget includes a $16 billion cut to the Department of Veterans Affairs over the next decade, along with deep reductions to programs specifically targeting veteran homelessness.

Despite his 2023 campaign promise to “totally eradicate veterans’ homelessness,” Trump is preparing to terminate the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program by May 1, 2025. This program has provided thousands of veterans with rental assistance and critical case management. In addition, the administration plans to slash 84% of the staff in the Office of Community Development, which oversees housing efforts like VASH and other homelessness prevention programs.

Tucson is doing everything it can to fill the gap. Under Mayor Regina Romero’s leadership, our city has expanded affordable housing investments and broadened shelter access, especially for veterans. Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz has spearheaded the “Tucson Homelessness Strategic Plan,” which centers housing-first strategies and veteran-focused services. But these local victories are at risk of being undone by harmful federal policy.

One policy that continues to make a major difference is fare-free public transit in Tucson. Veterans — both sheltered and unsheltered — rely on this free service to get to the VA hospital, mental health clinics, housing appointments and job interviews. Without it, many would be cut off from the resources they need just to survive. Keeping transit free is a low-cost, high-impact solution that supports our veterans’ daily lives and long-term recovery.

At the national level, leaders like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have offered bold policy responses, such as the “Homes Guarantee” — a federal commitment to ensuring affordable, safe housing for all. By investing in public housing and supportive services, proposals like this confront homelessness head-on. That’s the kind of leadership our veterans deserve — not more broken promises and budget cuts.

We must remember: not all veterans come home to families or communities ready to receive them. Some return to silence, trauma and homelessness. If we’re serious about honoring their service, we must invest in the infrastructure that supports them — housing, healthcare, transit and mental health care.

This is a moral issue, not a partisan one. Veterans like my mother deserve better. Veterans like my father and me demand better. We need elected leaders who back their words with action, not austerity.

Let’s demand that Congress reject Trump’s devastating cuts to the VA and housing programs. Let’s protect what’s working locally. And above all, let’s make sure no one who served our country is left to sleep on the streets.