Older veterans in a statewide CalVet supportive housing pilot saw falls drop 59% and emergency medical visits drop 75%, according to a summary of RAND's evaluation that Swords to Plowshares published on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Swords, a Bay Area veterans' nonprofit, designed the pilot's model.
How the pilot works
CalVet launched the pilot in 2023. It pairs housing for aging veterans with services provided on site: the summary says four veteran service organizations run those services at 13 housing sites. Swords says it provides technical assistance, and RAND served as the independent evaluator, following participants from June 2023 through May 2026.
According to Swords' summary, the pilot enrolled 560 veterans, more than its goal of 425, and most of them were 56 or older.
What the evaluation found
Swords' summary reports these results from RAND's evaluation:
- Twenty of the 560 veterans, or 3.6%, had what the summary calls a "negative exit" over three years.
- Falls were down 59%, and emergency medical visits were down 75%.
- Use of alcohol, stimulants and opioids fell by 40% or more.
- The share of participants who had no acute health events grew from 74% to 90%.
- Missed medical appointments were down 54%.
Swords puts the cost of the pilot's services at $17,437 per veteran per year. Once housing is added, the summary says, the total public cost comes in 23 to 50% below the California median for private assisted living.
Amy Fairweather, who wrote the post for Swords, described housing as "the starting point for long-term stability" rather than the end of homelessness.
A note on the figures
Every figure above comes from Swords' summary, and Swords designed the model that RAND evaluated. RAND's full report, which the post links to, was not reviewed for this article; readers who want the underlying data can find it there.
Swords' own work with older veterans
Older veterans also made up most of Swords' own new enrollees in 2024. That year, 61% of them were 55 or older, the organization reported in March 2025.
A federal earmark also covers work with aging veterans. A release from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, listed $250,000 for a Swords project called "Home for Good: Aging in Place for High-Acuity Veterans," part of more than $12 million in FY2026 Community Project Funding for San Francisco projects.
State spending on veteran housing and care
The pilot is one of several state efforts aimed at veterans' housing and health. In a Veterans Day proclamation in November 2025, Governor Newsom noted that Proposition 1, approved by voters in 2024, set aside $1 billion for housing veterans with mental and behavioral health needs, and said projects were under way through Homekey+.
The same proclamation pointed to the $50 million California Veterans Health Initiative for veteran mental health and suicide prevention, and put the number of veterans living in California at roughly 1.5 million. In March 2025, Swords described a partnership with the initiative's Mental Health Support Program to hire more mental health and support staff.
How to get help
Veterans can reach Swords at the Michael Blecker Veterans Center, 1060 Howard Street in San Francisco, or by phone at (415) 252-4788. According to the Swords website, the center is open Monday from 9:00 AM to 6:45 PM, Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:45 PM, Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:45 PM and Saturday from 11:00 AM to 6:45 PM. The website also has links to get care or to donate.
From Saved by the Saddle
Heroes and Horses, Saved by the Saddle's free program for veterans, meets as Coffee and Horsemanship on the second and fourth Mondays of every month, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, on the ground at Ocean View Stables in Daly City. Veterans of any branch, era or length of service are welcome, Guard and Reserve included, and no horse experience is needed.
Sources: Swords to Plowshares, "Going Beyond a Room and a Key Works" (Wednesday, September 30, 2026); Swords to Plowshares, post on expanded mental health programming (Friday, March 28, 2025); Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, release on FY2026 Community Project Funding for San Francisco (Wednesday, February 18, 2026); Governor Newsom, Veterans Day proclamation (Friday, November 7, 2025); Swords to Plowshares, website (accessed Friday, October 9, 2026)