Abstract: Introduction: Permanent supportive housing programs, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), are a highly important intervention to address homelessness among Veterans. Unsheltered Veterans are a priority population for HUD-VASH because this group is especially vulnerable and may face higher risk of exit from HUD-VASH. Method: We developed a 6-year retrospective (2012-2018) longitudinal cohort to compare whether previously unsheltered Veterans had a greater risk of exit from HUD-VASH housing compared to previously sheltered Veterans. Result: Veterans experiencing unsheltered homelessness had a significantly higher risk of exiting HUD-VASH housing (HR 1.1; 1.1-1.2) than sheltered Veterans. Conclusion: Veterans experiencing unsheltered homelessness had higher risk of exiting HUD-VASH housing. These findings may have implications for unsheltered non-Veterans, and people experiencing unsheltered homelessness may benefit from a tailored approach to supportive services to prevent housing exits.