[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 30 (Thursday, March 8, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF ``HEATHER FRENCH HENRY HOMELESS VETERANS ASSISTANCE 
                            ACT'', H.R. 936

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2001

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Heather French 
Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act. This important legislation 
establishes a national goal of ending homelessness among our nation's 
veterans within a decade. Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe if 40 years ago 
we as a nation had the resolve and resources to send men to the moon 
and return them safely to Earth within a decade, today our great nation 
can end homelessness among veterans with adequate resolve and resources 
within ten years.
  The measure I introduced today for myself, and almost 100 of my 
colleagues, is named to recognize and honor Heather French Henry, Miss 
America 2000. During her year of service to America, Heather French 
Henry committed the full measure of her time, talents and energy to 
addressing the needs of homeless veterans. She was our national 
conscience, calling on us to do more, to do enough to help veterans 
escape the prison of homelessness. She encouraged homeless veterans to 
break free from their chains of homelessness. She seems to be 
everywhere at once advocating for our homeless veterans. Homeless 
veterans have no better friend and voice.
  If we consider how much one young woman accomplished during her year 
of service as Miss America on behalf of our nation's homeless veterans, 
there can be no doubt this nation can end homelessness among veterans 
within a decade. If our nation demonstrates the care, compassion, and 
fidelity to ending homelessness among veterans as Heather French Henry 
did during her year of service as Miss America, a decade from now there 
will be no homelessness among veterans.
  The end of veteran homelessness and prompt action on the Heather 
French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act are a high priority for 
many. These goals are strongly supported, for example, by the National 
Coalition of Homeless Veterans and its hundreds of member organizations 
throughout the nation who daily provide essential services to homeless 
veterans. I am also pleased the Veterans Organizations Homeless Council 
which represents many major military and veterans service organizations 
strongly supports the legislation I am introducing today.
  Homelessness is a complex problem for which there is no ``quick 
fix.'' Homeless veterans are likely to face more than one serious 
challenge. They are more likely to have serious chronic mental illness, 
substance use disorders, significant chronic illnesses or disease, to 
lack the social networks that help most of us through our difficulties 
and to lack job and even basic living skills. The programs provided by 
the Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act addresses 
these problems with comprehensive solutions.
  Programs that have demonstrated effectiveness in assisting homeless 
veterans should be expanded. Better coordination among the services 
offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and those offered by 
other federal, state and local agencies is also needed. Support for 
private-sector programs serving homeless veterans must be affirmed. We 
must also make full use of leading experts to enrich current services 
to homeless veterans and assess program effectiveness and develop 
needed innovations. A new VA Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans 
and an effective federal interagency taskforce on homeless are 
important parts of the solution.
  Many programs provided or funded by VA have demonstrated their 
effectiveness. Mental health professionals agree, for example, that 
placement in the community can work, but only with careful monitoring 
and support of vulnerable populations. This legislation creates 
incentives for VA to make these services--called Mental Health 
Intensive Community Management programs--more widely available to 
veterans with serious mental illness.
  Supportive, therapeutic housing is necessary for a veteran's recovery 
from substance abuse. These ``safe havens'' must be provided and 
available to help a veteran in transition from homelessness to a more 
rewarding life. Community-based providers and more VA domiciliaries are 
needed to help meet the needs for transitional housing. Comprehensive 
services for homeless veterans must be more available in our major 
metropolitan areas to assure that veterans receive services in addition 
to full information about resources available to them. In our nation's 
Capital veterans have neither a VA domiciliary nor a comprehensive 
homeless veterans service program. Both are clearly needed now.
  Community-based organizations must receive more assistance to achieve 
the goal of ending homelessness among veterans. VA's Homeless Grant and 
Per Diem Providers are a critical source of support to the mission of 
caring for our nation's homeless veterans. Community-based providers 
use a collaborative approach to funding and caring for homeless 
veterans--many of the programs draw from a complex array of funding 
streams. The cost of caring for veterans is often subsidized by the 
other funding sources from local, state, and private entities these
  VA can and must do more to establish formal agreements with other 
agencies in and outside of the government in order to ensure that 
various agencies carefully coordinate services to ensure that veterans 
at risk of homelessness do not become homeless. The Departments of 
Defense, Labor and VA cooperatively provide a Transitional Assistance 
Program (TAP) for servicemembers who are about to be discharged from 
the military. This cooperative program could be a model for veterans 
who are leaving penal institutions or hospital settings. VA should work 
with a variety of community and other government programs to ensure a 
safety net is in place.
  Finally, my bill advocates a small demonstration program to offer 
transitional assistance to veterans making the very difficult 
transition from institutionalization to independent living. These 
veterans must be provided every chance possible to make it on their 
own. A one-time, limited grant will provide our veterans a better 
opportunity to obtain work and housing and avoid becoming homeless and 
living on the nation's streets.
  Mr. Speaker, a member of my staff recently visited a program in Las 
Vegas, Nevada, where she was told that VA staff can ``usually'' find a 
bed for a dying homeless veteran within his or her last week of life. 
As a nation, we should be outraged and shamed by this treatment of men 
and women who have served our nation in uniform. Surely we owe our 
veterans more. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
homeless veterans on their path to recovery and their full integration 
into mainstream society to the extent possible. Join me by supporting 
the Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act.

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