Case Study

State of Connecticut, Department of Veterans Affairs
Rocky Hill, CT

VA Vision, 2015-2016
Demographic Study

For a planning study commissioned by the CT Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Demographic Perspectives collaborated with a team of architects to evaluate the Connecticut VA residential campus in Rocky Hill and plan a future course for the veteran population housed there. The state of Connecticut made a strong commitment to eliminate veteran homelessness and met with success; however, the Rocky Hill residential campus faced challenges in providing quality housing to serve the needs of their veteran population.

DP conducted a demographic analysis of the current and future veteran population of Connecticut, drawing on information from interviews with VA staff and staff from state-wide veteran nonprofits, data from previous VA studies; and available data on U.S. and CT veterans, non-veterans, and homeless populations.

Topics of interest included the size of different age cohorts of veterans; the growing numbers of female veterans; and future projections for families in need of housing. The entirety of the Rocky Hill residential campus was considered as a whole, including parking options and other outdoor features of the campus.

Actionable Outcomes

• Analyzed current and future population levels of veterans in CT, with a specific focus on age cohorts, gender, families, and other groups with specific housing needs.
• Identified and described specific features and amenities in housing needed for different groups of veterans and envisioned changes needed to accommodate various populations in future.
• Calculated demand analysis of numbers of beds that would be needed in different population scenarios.