1.Financial assistance for
supportive services for very low-income veteran families in permanent
housing
(a)This Act may be cited
as the Services To Prevent Veterans
Homelessness Act
.
(b)The purpose of this Act is to facilitate
the provision of supportive services for very low-income veteran families in
permanent housing.
(c)Authorization
of financial assistance
(1)Subchapter V of
chapter 20 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following new subchapter:
2044.Financial
assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran families in
permanent housing
(a)Distribution of
financial assistance
(1)The Secretary shall provide financial assistance to
eligible entities approved under this section to provide and coordinate the
provision of supportive services described in subsection (b) for very
low-income veteran families occupying permanent housing.
(2)Financial assistance under this section shall consist of
per diem payments for each such family for which an approved eligible entity is
providing or coordinating the provision of supportive services.
(3)The
Secretary shall establish a formula to determine the rate of per diem payments
to be provided with respect to very low-income veteran families provided
supportive services under this section. This rate shall be adjusted not less
than annually to reflect changes in the cost of living. In calculating the per
diem formula under this paragraph, the Secretary may consider geographic cost
of living variances, family size, and the cost of services provided.
(4)In
providing financial assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give
preference to entities providing or coordinating the provision of supportive
services for very low-income veteran families who are transitioning from
homelessness to permanent housing.
(5)The Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent
practicable, financial assistance under this subsection is equitably
distributed across geographic regions, including rural communities and tribal
lands.
(6)Each
entity receiving financial assistance under this section to provide supportive
services to a very low-income veteran family shall notify that family that such
services are being paid for, in whole or in part, by the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(7)The Secretary may require entities receiving
financial assistance under this section to submit a report to the Secretary
that describes the projects carried out with such financial assistance.
(b)The supportive services referred to in subsection (a)
are the following:
(1)Services provided
by an eligible entity or subcontractors that address the needs of very
low-income veteran families occupying permanent housing, including—
(A)outreach
services;
(B)health care
services, including diagnosis, treatment, and counseling for mental health and
substance abuse disorders and for post-traumatic stress disorder, if such
services are not readily available through the Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center serving the geographic area in which the veteran family is
housed;
(C)habilitation and
rehabilitation services;
(D)case management
services;
(E)daily living
services;
(F)personal
financial planning;
(G)transportation
services;
(H)vocational
counseling;
(I)employment and
training;
(J)educational
services;
(K)assistance in
obtaining veterans benefits and other public benefits, including health care
provided by the Department;
(L)assistance in
obtaining income support;
(M)assistance in
obtaining health insurance;
(N)fiduciary and
representative payee services;
(O)legal services to
assist the veteran family with reconsiderations or appeals of veterans and
public benefit claim denials and to resolve outstanding warrants that interfere
with the family's ability to obtain or retain housing or supportive
services;
(P)child
care;
(Q)housing
counseling;
(R)other services
necessary for maintaining independent living; and
(S)coordination of
services under this paragraph.
(2)Services
described in paragraph (1) that are delivered to very low-income veteran
families who are homeless and who are scheduled to become residents of
permanent housing within 90 days pending the location or development of housing
suitable for permanent housing.
(3)Services
described in paragraph (1) for very low-income veteran families who have
voluntarily chosen to seek other housing after a period of tenancy in permanent
housing, that are provided, for a period of 90 days after such families exit
permanent housing or until such families commence receipt of other housing
services adequate to meet their current needs, but only to the extent that
services under this paragraph are designed to support such families in their
choice to transition into housing that is responsive to their individual needs
and preferences.
(c)Application for
financial assistance
(1)An eligible entity seeking financial assistance under
subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary in such form, in
such manner, and containing such commitments and information as the Secretary
determines to be necessary to carry out this section.
(2)Each
application submitted by an eligible entity under paragraph (1) shall
contain—
(A)a description of
the supportive services proposed to be provided by the eligible entity;
(B)a description of
the types of very low-income veteran families proposed to be provided such
services;
(C)an estimate of
the number of very low-income veteran families proposed to be provided such
services;
(D)evidence of the
experience of the eligible entity in providing supportive services to very
low-income veteran families;
(E)a description of
the managerial capacity of the eligible entity to—
(i)coordinate the
provision of supportive services with the provision of permanent housing, by
the eligible entity or by other organizations;
(ii)continuously
assess the needs of very low-income veteran families for supportive
services;
(iii)coordinate the
provision of supportive services with the services of the Department;
(iv)tailor
supportive services to the needs of very low-income veteran families;
and
(v)continuously seek
new sources of assistance to ensure the long-term provision of supportive
services to very low-income veteran families.
(3)The Secretary shall establish criteria for the selection
of eligible entities to be provided financial assistance under this
section.
(d)
(1)The Secretary shall provide training and technical
assistance to participating eligible entities regarding the planning,
development, and provision of supportive services to very low-income veteran
families occupying permanent housing.
(2)The
Secretary may provide the training described in paragraph (1) directly or
through grants or contracts with appropriate public or nonprofit private
entities.
(e)Of
the amounts available each fiscal year to the Department for Medical Care for
veterans, $25,000,000 shall be available in each such fiscal year to carry out
the provisions of this section, of which not more than $750,000 may be used to
provide technical assistance under subsection (d).
(f)In
this section:
(1)The term consumer cooperative has the
meaning given such term in section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C.
1701q).
(2)The term eligible entity means—
(A)a private
nonprofit organization; or
(B)a consumer
cooperative.
(3)The term homeless has the
meaning given the term in section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 11302)).
(4)The term permanent housing means
community-based housing without a designated length of stay.
(5)Private
nonprofit organizationThe term private nonprofit
organization means—
(A)any incorporated
private institution or foundation—
(i)no part of the
net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any member, founder,
contributor, or individual;
(ii)which has a
governing board that is responsible for the operation of the supportive
services provided under this section; and
(iii)which is
approved by the Secretary as to financial responsibility;
(B)a for-profit
limited partnership, the sole general partner of which is an organization
meeting the requirements of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subparagraph
(A);
(C)a corporation
wholly owned and controlled by an organization meeting the requirements of
clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subparagraph (A); and
(D)a tribally
designated housing entity (as defined in section 4 of the Native American
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)).
(6)Very low-income
veteran family
(A)Subject to
subparagraphs (B) and (C), the term very low-income veteran family
means a veteran family whose income does not exceed 50 percent of the median
income for the area, as determined by the Secretary in accordance with this
paragraph.
(B)Adjustments for
family sizeThe Secretary
shall make appropriate adjustments to the income requirement under subparagraph
(A) based on family size.
(C)Adjustments for
housing costsThe Secretary
may establish an income ceiling higher or lower than 50 percent of the median
income for an area if the Secretary determines that such variations are
necessary because the area has unusually high or low construction costs, fair
market rents (as determined under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f)), or family incomes.
(7)The term veteran
family includes a veteran who is a single person and a family in which
the head of household or the spouse of the head of household is a
veteran.
.
(2)The table of section at the beginning of chapter 20 of
title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating
to section 2043 the following:
2044. Financial assistance for supportive services for very
low-income veteran families in permanent
housing.
.