Funds Will Serve Veterans Experiencing or at Risk of Homelessness

SOUTH ROYALTON, Vermont (Nov. 10, 2025) — The Veterans Legal Assistance Project (VLAP) at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) has been awarded a two-year, $490,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide civil legal services to veterans who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness.

The grant follows last year’s 14-month, $300,000 award, which enabled VLAP to assist more than 250 Vermont veterans. VLAP — which has honored and served more than 950 veterans since its founding in 2014 — is the only legal service provider in the state to receive a grant in this round of awards.

“This grant reaffirms our longstanding commitment to veterans,” said Vermont Law School Dean Beth McCormack. “Consistent with VLGS’s service mission, VLAP is using the power of the law to improve the lives of vulnerable Vermonters. We are grateful to the VA and to our veterans-serving allies across the state for placing their confidence in us.”

Operating statewide, VLAP provides a range of legal services, representing veterans in civil law issues such as foreclosure defense, eviction/ejectment defense and bankruptcy matters, as well as VA benefit claims and appeals, VA benefit overpayments and discharge upgrades. VLAP works with veterans to obtain other benefits on supplemental security income (SSI) and social security disability insurance (SSDI) appeals.

Although VLAP does not handle criminal law matters, it does assist Vermont veterans in obtaining expungements. VLAP also helps with simple estate planning through the drafting of wills, durable powers of attorney, enhanced life estate deeds and advance directives.

“The VA has been a wonderful partner in ensuring that VLAP has the resources it needs to serve veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness,” said Don Hayes JD’10, director of VLGS’s South Royalton Legal Clinic and the Veterans Legal Assistance Project. “The veterans community deserves significant support. VLAP attorneys and student clinicians have been unerring in their outreach, counsel and care. We are proud and privileged to have earned the VA’s trust with this new award.”

A key feature of this grant is the hiring of a VLAP fellow who will serve as a staff attorney focused exclusively on veterans matters and traveling the state to raise VLAP’s visibility and expand its reach. The fellow will establish traveling offices in the key cities of Burlington, Newport, Bennington and Brattleboro, adding to VLAP’s strong presence in Rutland and White River Junction. VLAP expects to assist 450 veterans over the course of the two-year grant, which will include services designed specifically for women veterans.

Vermont Law and Graduate School has a proud affiliation with America’s service members. The Veterans Law Student Association is active and robust, offering programs about veterans’ needs, including mental health initiatives. VLGS’s Online Hybrid Juris Doctor program, launched in 2022, is popular among veterans, with more than 50 students indicating military service. Those students attended institutions across the country, including three military academies. VLGS’s annual Veterans Day campus event is scheduled for November 11 and is open to the public.

For Veterans in Need

The Vermont Legal Assistance Project encourages veterans and their advocates to take advantage of the following resources:

  • The Veterans Crisis Line — which is accessible by dialing 988 and pressing 1, chatting online, or texting 838255 — provides 24/7 confidential crisis support for veterans their loved ones.
  • The National Call Center for Homeless Veterans — which may be reached by dialing 877-424-3838 — offers 24/7 confidential support for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and their families, friends and supporters.
  • Vermont 211 is available to those in need of homeless services and rental assistance.

About Vermont Law and Graduate School

Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and field work learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

DISCLAIMER: By awarding this grant, the Department of Veterans Affairs has not endorsed the policies, activities or products of Vermont Law and Graduate School.