Washington, DC – Yesterday, by a vote of 417-2, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 403, the Homes for Heroes Act, which will provide housing for homeless veterans and their families, as well as help prevent very low-income-veteran families from falling into homelessness. Rep. Al Green (TX-09) introduced the Homes for Heroes Act with Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Michaud (ME-02) in January 2009.
“Today, the House took an important step in honoring our military men and women by passing this critical legislation that will help eliminate homelessness and provide affordable housing opportunities for our nation’s heroes. This is the least a grateful nation can do,” Rep. Green said. “I commend my colleagues in the House for voting to provide those who have sacrificed for our country with the assistance they deserve.”
On any given night in this country, over 130,000 of the 500,000 Americans living on the streets, in shelters or in community-based organizations are homeless adult veterans. Nearly 300,000 veterans may experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Of these:
• 47 percent of homeless veterans are Vietnam veterans
• Half have mental illness
• Two-thirds suffer from alcohol or other substance-abuse problems
• Over half of all homeless veterans are African-American or Latino
“The House voted today to give our homeless veterans a benefit they have earned – the promise of a home for themselves and their family,” said Rep. Michaud. “I strongly urge the Senate to take up this bill as soon as possible. If we can make this bill law, more than 130,000 of our bravest Americans will be one step closer to being in a stable living environment.”
The Homes for Heroes Act will:
• Establish a $200 million assistance program for supportive housing and services for low-income veterans;
• Expand the highly successful Department of Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, authorizing 20,000 vouchers annually and making the program permanent;
• Authorize $1 million in HUD grants to assist housing and service providers with the execution of their housing projects for veterans assisted by HUD, fulfilling the planning and application process, and assisting veterans in obtaining permanent housing or homeless assistance;
• Establish the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within HUD to coordinate services to homeless veterans and serve as a liaison to the Department of Veterans Affairs, state and local officials, and nonprofit service organizations; and
• Require HUD to submit a comprehensive annual report to Congress on the housing needs of homeless veterans and the steps HUD has taken under the programs provided for in the bill.
“Those who put their lives on the line to defend this great nation deserve our utmost appreciation. The House today took an important step forward in ensuring that the brave men and women who have served our nation are hopefully able to get the long-term housing that they need,” stated Congressman Green.
####