[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 27, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4682-S4683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED:
  S. 3349. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, and the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 to enhance and expand the assistance 
provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development to homeless veterans and veterans at risk 
of homelessness, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I introduce the Zero Tolerance for 
Veteran Homelessness Act. This bill enhances and expands the assistance 
provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development to homeless veterans and veterans at risk 
of becoming homeless.
  It is one of our Nation's great tragedies that on any given night, 
according to estimates by the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 
67,000 veterans are homeless. The Department further estimates that 
about 145,000 veterans experience homelessness each year and that 
nearly 1/5th of all homeless people in the United States are veterans. 
These numbers are expected to climb as our service members who have 
fought in Iraq and Afghanistan return home to face tough economic 
conditions.
  Indeed, some veterans return from deployments to discover that the 
skills they have honed in their military service can be difficult to 
transfer to jobs in the private sector. Others struggle with physical 
or mental wounds of war. Still others return to communities that lack 
safe, affordable housing.
  Our veterans have made great sacrifices to serve our country, and it 
is especially important to honor our commitment to them. The Department 
of Veterans Affairs is certainly a part of that commitment, providing 
benefits, medical care, support, and a sense of community to homeless 
veterans. However, a number of other federal agencies provide service 
to veterans, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
and this legislation builds on that existing infrastructure.
  Many programs through HUD and the VA are already helping homeless 
veterans with transitional housing, health care and rehabilitation 
services, and employment assistance. However, a more comprehensive and 
coordinated approach would strengthen these programs and help prevent 
more at-risk veterans from becoming homeless.
  First, this legislation would make it easier for non-profits to apply 
for capital grants through the VA's grants and per diem program to 
build transitional housing and other facilities for veterans. This 
would streamline the process for non-profit organizations to be able to 
use financing from other sources to break ground on new housing 
construction. This is particularly important in the current economy, 
when non-profits are stretched and have to be more creative than ever 
to fund new capital projects.
  Second, the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act would create 
a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within HUD. The Special 
Assistant would ensure that veterans have access to HUD's existing 
programs and work to remove any barriers. The Special Assistant would 
also serve as a liaison between HUD and the VA, helping to connect and 
coordinate the services the two departments provide.
  Additionally, this legislation recognizes the need to measure 
progress of efforts to combat homelessness. The bill would require the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to analyze existing programs and develop 
a comprehensive plan with recommendations on how to end homelessness 
among veterans. Establishing a plan with appropriate benchmarks will 
enable the VA to more easily track progress towards this important 
goal.
  Only by working together, across the federal government and in 
partnership with non-profits and local housing authorities, will we be 
able to comprehensively help homeless veterans and reach those in 
danger of becoming homeless. We owe it to our veterans to ensure that 
they and their families have safe, affordable places to live and to 
provide the services and benefits they have earned. The nation's brave 
veterans deserve nothing less.
  I am pleased that provisions from this bill, which follows on 
legislation I introduced last Congress, have been included in 
comprehensive legislation that is moving through the Veterans

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Affairs Committee. I hope my colleagues will join in supporting these 
important efforts.

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