January 13, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 7 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
All in House sectionPrev24 of 69Next
VETERAN HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND UNEMPLOYMENT SUPPORT EXTENSION ACT OF 2020; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 7
(House of Representatives - January 13, 2020)
Text available as:
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H194-H195] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] VETERAN HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND UNEMPLOYMENT SUPPORT EXTENSION ACT OF 2020 Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2398) to amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 and title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH program, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit annual reports to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives regarding homeless veterans, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2398 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Housing Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act of 2020'' or the ``Veteran HOUSE Act of 2020''. SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HUD-VASH. (a) HUD Provisions.--Section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: ``(D) Veteran defined.--In this paragraph, the term `veteran' has the meaning given that term in section 2002(b) of title 38, United States Code.''. (b) VHA Case Managers.--Subsection (b) of section 2003 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``In the case of vouchers provided under the HUD-VASH program under section 8(o)(19) of such Act, for purposes of the preceding sentence, the term `veteran' shall have the meaning given such term in section 2002(b) of this title.''. SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORTS. (a) In General.--Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the homelessness services provided under programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including services under HUD-VASH program under section 8(o)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)). (b) Included Information.--Each such annual report shall include, with respect to the year preceding the submittal of the report, a statement of the number of eligible individuals who were furnished such homelessness services and the number of individuals furnished such services under each such program, disaggregated by the number of men who received such services and the number of women who received such services, and such other information as the Secretary considers appropriate The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California. General Leave Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from California? There was no objection. Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2398, the Veteran Housing Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act. Put simply, this bill will help more veterans get out of homelessness without increasing current funding levels. It is a national embarrassment that we still have an estimated 37,000 veterans who experienced homelessness on any given night in 2019. To our credit we have a very successful program that is focused on ending homelessness among veterans. It is called the HUD-VASH program. The HUD-VASH program is largely credited for the nearly 50 percent decrease in the homeless veteran population over the past decade. Unfortunately, many of these vouchers go unutilized year after year due in part to the fact that veterans are not eligible for the HUD-VASH program if they received an other than honorable discharge from the military. Let's be clear, an other than honorable discharge should not be confused with a dishonorable discharge. A servicemember can receive an other than honorable discharge for fairly minor infractions such as lapses in military good order and discipline. Moreover, veterans who are repeatedly deployed tend to suffer more frequently from serious mental health issues. We know that mental health issues are correlated with higher rates of other than honorable discharges as well as an increased likelihood of experiencing homelessness upon leaving the military. H.R. 2398 would correct this injustice by ensuring that veterans who received an other than honorable discharge are not excluded from the HUD-VASH program. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, Mr. Heck and Mr. Peters, for introducing this critical legislation. I strongly support this legislation, I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2398. I want to thank my friend, Mr. Peters from California, for his work on this legislation and my colleague on the House Financial Services Committee, Mr. Stivers of Ohio. We love working together to benefit our veterans in the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. As our chairwoman simply said, Congress should not rest until every homeless veteran has a roof over his or her head. Despite all of our efforts and all the leadership we have contributed for 3 decades, it is still shocking to hear Ms. Waters say that 37,000 veterans are reported homeless on any given night in our country. The idea of partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs dates back to the 1990s. It was a pleasure to serve then for President George H. W. Bush and to work with Secretary Jack Kemp at HUD when the partnership was envisioned. Jack Kemp of New York and of Vice Presidential candidate fame was a strong Member of this House and someone who worked hard for communities all over this country, particularly for communities that are struggling to make sure they have access to a better future. Jack Kemp demonstrated a lot of leadership in outlining this partnership between the VA and HUD for housing vouchers dedicated to homeless veterans. We combined that with the VA case management services to provide healthcare, mental health treatment, substance abuse counseling, job placement, and more. We know this works. This is why so many of us speak out so passionately about shared services and comprehensive case management for our homeless. We know that all of that is important for them to have a better future. I work with the Veterans' Affairs homeless coordinator in Little Rock, Arkansas, on a regular basis, Estella Morris, and I have seen her work so successfully within this program to benefit constituents in my hometown of Little Rock. This partnership on a national basis has proven to be very successful in all the States of our land, awarding almost 100,000 vouchers over the past 10 years to those who have honorably served their country. H.R. 2398 would build on that success by requiring annual reporting from the VA to disclose demographic information and how [[Page H195]] these vouchers are distributed. With several communities around the country having made great strides to effectively end veteran homelessness, it is crucial that we use this information to better target the HUD-VASH voucher program in those communities that need them the most. The bill would also expand the eligibility for the program, as Chairwoman Waters described, to veterans who were discharged other than honorably, helping that vulnerable population have access to this crucial resource. Since 2010, the number of homeless veterans has been cut in half. This Congress has made it a priority and the Obama administration and the Trump administration have made this a priority. These are positive signs, but there is more to do and this bill will help achieve the goal of ending veterans' homelessness. I, again, would like to thank Mr. Stivers, the ranking member of the Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee in the House and a cosponsor of the bill for his leadership on the issue and in working with Mr. Peters. Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Peters), who is the sponsor of this legislation. Mr. PETERS. Madam Speaker, San Diego County is home to over 230,000 veterans. Each year thousands of servicemembers exit the military and choose to stay in San Diego. It has been one of my greatest priorities in Congress to support those in the Armed Forces transitioning back into civilian life. The transition can be tougher for some people than for others. Many veterans struggle with mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury, and they may turn to alcohol or drugs to deal with these mental health issues. Studies have shown that the top two risk factors to becoming homeless are mental health issues and substance use disorders. The next biggest risk factor is economic insecurity. In expensive regions like ours, rising housing costs can exacerbate these risks and drive up the rate of homelessness. In our county we have over 1,000 veterans experiencing homelessness. We have made serious progress, as my colleague, Mr. Hill, said, here in Congress in reducing the number of veterans experiencing homelessness primarily due to the HUD-VA Supportive Housing, or HUD- VASH, voucher program, which aims to serve chronically homeless veterans. HUD-VASH recognizes housing first as the best way to end homelessness and couples rental assistance with case management services from the VA. Since this partnership was forged between HUD and VA in 2019, the rate of veteran homelessness has been cut in half. HUD-VASH works, and I have spent the past several years supporting the program and looking for ways to improve it. {time} 1745 One of those ways to improve this program is to expand eligibility for those who don't have access to the program. Currently, veterans with other than honorable discharges are not eligible for HUD-VASH because, generally, they don't have access to VA healthcare. A veteran could receive, I think as Chairwoman Waters mentioned, an other than honorable discharge for administrative or relatively minor reasons. This eligibility gap prevents thousands of homeless veterans from being housed while receiving critical supportive services. Now, Congress has recognized the value of extending access to veterans for other VA homelessness service programs. Two years ago, we allowed other than honorable veterans to access the grant and per diem program for transitional housing and supportive services for veteran families for rapid rehousing. This bill, my bill, the bipartisan Veteran HOUSE Act, closes this gap. The legislation expands eligibility for the HUD-VASH program to include veterans with other than honorable, but not dishonorable, discharges. We know how to end veteran homelessness. Several cities across the country have already achieved functional zero. HUD-VASH is one of the most vital tools we have to accomplish this goal, and we must make sure more homeless veterans have access to this resource. This bill will see that at least 1,300 additional veterans are eventually served by HUD-VASH and will stop more homeless veterans from falling through the cracks. Madam Speaker, I thank the Financial Services Committee, particularly Chairwoman Waters, Mr. Heck, and Mr. Stivers, for moving this bill through their subcommittee. I also thank my colleagues on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Chairman Takano and Chairman Levin, for taking swift action on this bill last year. Both committees passed this bill with unanimous support. Finally, I thank all the local organizations in San Diego for supporting this bill, as well as the National Alliance to End Homelessness and many national veterans service organizations, including The American Legion, the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, and Paralyzed Veterans of America. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Veterans HOUSE Act, and I call on the Senate to act on this bill to help more homeless veterans. Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, this is a good bill. This is a bill that will help move more people to shelter, particularly our veterans, who are so in need. When I think about Jack Kemp and his inspiration for this so many years ago, he frequently quoted Theodore Roosevelt's great quote, which was: ``Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.'' Certainly, that is apropos here because Mr. Peters and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the members, both Republicans and Democrats, on the House Financial Services Committee care about solving this crisis. We care about working with our local partners to make our communities a better place. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Stivers for his work and my friend Mr. Peters. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I again thank Representatives Peters and Heck for bringing forth this important legislation. We were reminded only last week of the commitment of those who served in the United States armed services. We must continue to do all we can to ensure that those who have served receive the support they need. The reforms in H.R. 2398 will do exactly that. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2398, as amended. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________
All in House sectionPrev24 of 69Next