The just-observed Veterans Day was a special day for us to remember those who have served and sacrificed to protect the freedoms and opportunities we all enjoy. It also was a time to reflect upon our commitment of caring for and helping our former soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines cope with the aftermath of defending and protecting us, and to renew our collective efforts to assure that all men and women who have defended our homeland have a safe and affordable place to call home.

The latest Point in Time count of homeless veterans showed a 13.5 percent decrease in the number of homeless veterans statewide, a 9.4 percent decrease on Oahu, and a 24.7 percent decrease on the neighbor islands compared with last year. This is wonderful and welcome news, and it does not stop there.

The local Veterans Affairs (VA) agency has been instrumental in championing a coordinated entry system that works seamlessly with homeless community providers. In addition, this year it has received more staff, more HUD-VASH (Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing) vouchers, created more emergency housing contracts, and enhanced its homeless services. A Homeless Patient Aligned Care team provides services on Oahu’s Leeward side. There also is a Veterans Justice Outreach program, which supports our local Veterans Treatment Court.

A majority of these services also are available on the neighbor islands and Guam. In addition, the homeless program is involved with the planning of mental health summits with the Department of Defense.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s leadership, through the national Mayor’s Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to end veteran homelessness, has permanently housed 1,443 veterans on Oahu from January 2015 through March 2018, and reduced the time it takes to house a veteran once a voucher has been issued to an average of 64 days. The national target is 90 days.

VA also has reached out to the community and joined in hosting Project Homeless Connects, events where dozens of homeless agencies are invited to provide wrap-around services to both homeless veterans and non-veterans.

Our biggest gap in reducing homelessness statewide is the lack of affordable housing. We on Oahu are well aware that more is needed. Cloud Break Communities, a national developer of affordable housing for veterans, is slated to build four new buildings at Kalaeloa (Barbers Point) over the next several years. That project alone will add 250 affordable units to the housing inventory for homeless veterans. Many local agencies have had a hand in helping resettle homeless veterans, among them U.S. VETS, Catholic Charities and the Institute for Human Services. Let us take this moment to thank them for their noble work.

Even so, we must not rest on our laurels, because every homeless veteran still without a home is one too many. We need as a community to focus more on permanent housing. We are asking landlords, property managers and homeowners to consider renting to homeless veterans currently receiving housing assistance. If you encounter homeless veterans in the community, connect them with the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans: 1-877-424-3838.

For the past four years, I have chaired our Homeless Veterans Task Force — retired military officers, members of the private sector, clergy and state and federal public servants — that provides guidance and oversight to our community’s approach to reducing veterans homelessness. We need this same kind of focus, and commitment, statewide on the topic of affordable housing so to move forward.

Let us remember the sacrifices made by our veterans, and our continuing obligation to assure that all of them have a home.

John Henry Felix is chairman of the Homeless Veterans Task Force.