[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8628-S8629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ZERO TOLERANCE FOR VETERANS HOMELESSNESS ACT

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I wish to speak on the introduction of S. 
1547--the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act. I am very proud 
to be an original cosponsor of this legislation and to join my good 
friend, Senator Jack Reed, along with Senators Tim Johnson and Patty 
Murray, on addressing the tragedy of homelessness among our Nation's 
veterans. My three colleagues have been steadfast in their resolve to 
address the needs of veterans, including the tragedy of homelessness, 
and I commend them.
  Senator Reed has been a strong and committed leader on affordable 
housing and homeless issues and his leadership played a strong role in 
the recent enactment of the historic Homeless Emergency Assistance and 
Rapid Transition to Housing Act or HEARTH Act. I am honored to join him 
again.
  Like the HEARTH Act, the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act 
builds on our work over the past several years by focusing on the 
importance of permanent supportive housing. Further, it takes important 
steps to break down the barriers between the Departments of Veterans 
Affairs, VA, and Housing and Urban Development, HUD, to ensure that 
veterans receive the quality services and housing they deserve and 
need.
  The most notable element of the legislation is the authorization of 
HUD-VA Supportive Housing or HUD-VASH rental-assistance vouchers. 
Working with Senator Patty Murray, new HUD-VASH vouchers have been 
funded over the past 2 years. While other HUD homeless-assistance 
programs serve veterans, HUD-VASH is the only permanent housing program 
that is specifically targeted to veterans and tied to veteran-specific 
supportive services from the VA.
  We have been fortunate to fund 10,000 new vouchers each year but with 
over

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130,000 homeless veterans on any given night and thousands more who are 
at risk of becoming homeless, we must do more and this bill does 
exactly that.
  As I noted, there are over 130,000 homeless veterans in America. 
Sadly, veterans make up a significant and disproportionate amount--over 
20 percent--of the country's homeless population. Many of these 
veterans are from the Vietnam war. Even more sad and stunning is the 
fact that the number of homeless Vietnam-era veterans is greater than 
the number of service persons who died during that war.
  But the face of homeless veterans is changing and is not limited to 
those who fought in Vietnam. We also are seeing homelessness increase 
among Desert Storm veterans and veterans returning from the ongoing 
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  In addition, recent reports are finding a troubling trend of 
homelessness among female veterans. The VA estimates that the number of 
homeless veterans who are female has doubled over the past decade. And 
many homeless female veterans carry the burden of being single parents.
  This bill that I cosponsor sends a loud and clear message that 
homelessness among our veterans is unacceptable and intolerable.
  As I have stated in previous speeches, homelessness is thankfully no 
longer a hopeless situation. We have learned that permanent housing 
tied to supportive services, such as mental health care and job 
training, was the antidote to homelessness. Nevertheless, we must 
continually adjust our programs to meet the changing composition of 
homelessness.
  Before closing, I comment on a couple of other items that will help 
to prevent and end homelessness among our Nation's veterans.
  First, we must improve the coordination between the Department of 
Defense, DOD, and the VA. Specifically, DOD, and VA can prevent 
homelessness among veterans by improving discharge planning and 
coordination of the medical programs between the two Departments.
  Second, we must find ways to improve the integration of HUD-VASH 
programs with services that deliver job training, employment, 
education, and health care. Specifically, we need to integrate fully 
the Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program and 
programs run by the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness was reactivated to 
address the coordination between Federal agencies. It is my hope that 
the ICH will work within existing authorities to address the DOD and 
other service integration issues that I have raised, and come forward 
with specific recommendations for the Congress to consider. I also look 
forward to working with Senator Reed and others to address these issues 
as we move this bill through the legislative process.
  Again, I thank Senator Jack Reed for his leadership and commitment on 
issues related to housing, veterans, and national security. I strongly 
urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

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