Start here
Start here: a veteran with no address.
He served, he is sleeping somewhere that is not his, and he has been told to "go to the VA" by people who have never done it. This is the order that works, with the actual phone numbers, the actual addresses, and what each office will and will not do.
Official links and phone numbers checked November 11, 2026.
If tonight is the emergency
Call the VA's homeless veterans line at 877-424-3838 (24 hours) or CAM Detroit at 313-305-0311 (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.). Then call 2-1-1 for a same-night bed.
- One call today gets him on the coordinated list that assigns housing.
- The DD-214 is replaced for free, and it unlocks everything after it.
- VA health care enrollment needs no address.
- The disability claim is filed to hold the date, not because the case is ready.
- HUD-VASH or SSVF, entered through the caseworker, not by waiting.
- Emergency veteran grants and veteran-priority hiring cover the gap.
Move 1 · today
Get a bed, a caseworker, and one phone number.
Housing in Detroit is assigned through a coordinated list, not by walking into buildings until someone says yes. Getting on that list is the first move, and it is free.
- Call the VA's National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. It runs around the clock, and it exists only for this.
- Call CAM Detroit at 313-305-0311 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). CAM is the coordinated entry point for anyone homeless in Detroit, Hamtramck, or Highland Park.
- Call 2-1-1 for same-night shelter, food, and utility help while the rest of this is pending.
- Ask for a caseworker by name, and write that name down. The person, not the agency, moves the paperwork.
Nobody gets housed by being the most deserving person in the room. They get housed by finishing the assessment and staying reachable.
Move 2 · this week
Prove the service, and keep the paper in one place.
Almost every benefit below hangs on one document: the DD-214. If it is lost, stolen, or in a storage unit he no longer has, it can be replaced for free.
- Request military service records, including the DD-214, through the VA's records page. It is free. Anyone charging for this is charging for a free form.
- If he has no ID, start there too. A veteran service officer can help pull the records that unlock the ID.
- Put every document in one envelope that never leaves his bag: DD-214, state ID, Social Security card, medication list, and the caseworker's name and number.
- A shelter or a veteran service office can receive mail for him until he has an address. Ask before using his own name at a mailing counter.
A man with no address still has a service record. The record is the address the benefits system actually reads.
Move 3 · same week
Enroll in VA health care. No address required.
VA health care enrollment does not depend on having a home, a job, or private insurance. Detroit's VA also has a homeless program that can get him food, shelter, dental, and mental health care in one place.
- Apply with VA Form 10-10EZ online, by phone at 877-222-8387, or in person at the Detroit VA at 4646 John R Street.
- Ask for the homeless programs care coordinator at VA Detroit: 313-576-1000, extension 61489.
- Say out loud that he is homeless when he checks in. It changes which door he is sent through.
- If it is a medical or mental health emergency, go to an emergency room. An emergency is treated before the billing question.
Enrollment is not the same as an appointment. Apply, then keep calling the coordinator until a date exists.
Move 4 · do not wait for a diagnosis
File the disability claim to start the clock.
Compensation is paid from the date the VA receives the claim, not the date he got sick. Starting the application today holds that date, even if the evidence takes a year to assemble.
- Start the disability application online. Beginning it declares an intent to file, which holds the effective date for one year while he gathers records.
- Do not pay a "claims company" a cut of the back pay. Accredited veteran service officers help with claims for free. Michigan's county VSOs are listed by the state.
- Bring the DD-214, the medical records he has, and the names of units and dates. Missing records can be requested.
- Expect months, not weeks. That is a reason to file now, not a reason to wait for a clean case.
A claim filed in a shelter beats a stronger claim filed in two years. The effective date is the asset.
Move 5 · through the caseworker
Get into HUD-VASH or SSVF, not just a bed.
Emergency shelter ends. HUD-VASH pairs a federal housing voucher with VA case management, and SSVF does rapid re-housing. Both are entered through the VA homeless program and coordinated entry, and both need the paperwork from moves 2 through 4.
- Ask the VA Detroit homeless coordinator for a HUD-VASH referral at the first appointment, in those words.
- Ask CAM Detroit what its list shows for his assessment, and what would move him up it.
- Ask about SSVF rapid re-housing if he is street homeless or couch-surfing. It is built to be faster than a voucher.
- Keep every appointment. A missed assessment restarts more than a meeting.
A voucher is not keys. It needs a landlord who will take it, so start asking about units the week the voucher is issued.
Move 6 · while the rest is pending
Cover the gap without a payday loan.
There is emergency money for Michigan veterans, and it is a grant, not a loan. It is also limited to a short-term crisis, so it buys time rather than an income.
- Call 1-800-MICH-VET (1-800-642-4838) and ask about the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund. Eligibility includes an honorable discharge and wartime service; the fund pays emergency costs like utilities, vehicle or home repair, and medical bills.
- Ask about the county Soldier and Sailor Relief Fund through the same county veteran services office.
- For work, go to Detroit at Work and to Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation. Veterans get priority of service in the federally funded programs.
- Say no to payday loans, car-title loans, and anyone who wants a share of a VA claim.
The grant covers a bill; it does not cover a year. The claim and the work are what change the year.
What this page is not
It is not the VA, a shelter, or an application. Eligibility, waitlists, and grants are decided by the offices on the other end of these links, and they change. Nothing here asks for a name, address, service record, or health information, and nothing on this page is saved.
A number that is disconnected, or an office that does not do what this page says? Send it in and it gets checked against the official record.
