Press Release

July 9, 2008 

Contact:
Caroline Burns
(202) 225-3631

 

BISHOP APPLAUDS PASSAGE OF ‘HOMES FOR HEROES ACT’
House of Representatives passes bill to help homeless vets 

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sanford Bishop today applauded passage of the Homes for Heroes Act, which will expand housing services and assistance for homeless veterans.
The legislation, which Bishop co-sponsored, cleared the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 412 to 9.

“In the United States of America, it is unconscionable to me that so many of our veterans live without a roof over their head. They honored us with their service, and we absolutely must honor them with a place to call home,” said Bishop.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more than 400,000 veterans are homeless at some point during the year.  It also estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. The Homes for Heroes Act will confront this situation head-on with a $200 million-per-year assistance program for supportive housing and services for low-income homeless veterans and their families at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  It also makes at least 20,000 rental housing vouchers a year available to homeless veterans and their families, and allows veterans’ families to continue to receive the assistance provided for in the bill in the event of the veteran’s death.

 

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