[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8135-H8137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HOMELESS VETERAN FAMILIES ACT
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 95) to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that
children of homeless veterans are included in the calculation of the
amounts of certain per diem grants.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 95
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 ``Homeless Veteran Families
Act''.
SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF CALCULATION OF AMOUNTS OF PER DIEM
GRANTS.
Section 2012(a)(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in clause (i), by inserting ``or (iii)'' after ``clause
(ii)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(iii) With respect to a homeless veteran who has care of
a minor dependent while receiving services from the grant
recipient or eligible entity, the daily cost of care shall be
the sum of the daily cost of care determined under
subparagraph (A) plus, for each such minor dependent, an
amount that equals 50 percent of such daily cost of care.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P.
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous material on H.R. 95.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 95, the Homeless Veteran
Families Act.
H.R. 95 was introduced by Representative Julia Brownley, chair of the
Subcommittee on Health and a tireless advocate for women veterans and
their children.
This bill would ensure that children of homeless veterans are
included in the calculation of per diem grants to organizations
supporting homeless veterans and their families. By including children
in this calculation, homeless veterans and their children will receive
much-needed housing and supportive services, which will reduce the rate
of homelessness among the veteran population.
Mr. Speaker, since 1994, VA's homeless grant and per diem program has
provided homeless veterans with community-based transitional housing
and supportive services. The grant per diem program annually offers
funding to community agencies that provide supportive services to
homeless veterans. It promotes the development and provision of
supportive housing and supportive services, with the goal of helping
homeless veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill
levels and income, and obtain greater self-determination.
However, many homeless veterans with children are unable to obtain
transitional housing and support assistance through the program because
providers only receive payments from VA for the veteran, not their
dependent children. Many housing providers have been unable to house
homeless veterans who are accompanied by their dependent children
without additional financial support.
Mr. Speaker, current law limits VA's authority to reimburse the
additional costs associated with sheltering the dependent children of
homeless veterans, which has resulted in many grant per diem service
providers not accepting homeless veterans with dependent children.
This has resulted in a lack of access to supportive housing and
services for veterans with children, as these veterans are forced to
choose between receipt of housing assistance and supportive services
and caring for their children. This is especially true for many women
veterans who have children and who are also homeless.
This legislation would authorize VA to pay a partial per diem to
grant per diem service providers supporting our Nation's homeless
veterans with children. For each child accompanying a homeless veteran,
the service provider would receive per diem at a 50 percent rate for
each child.
This committee is committed to addressing and ending homelessness,
and this legislation is one step toward this end.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
Chairman Levin and Ranking Member Bilirakis held two field hearings in
San Diego, California, and Tampa, Florida, to learn more about how VA
can better coordinate with local organizations to end veteran
homelessness. This bill is the first of many solutions, some of which
have been identified from these bipartisan hearings of the Economic
Opportunity Subcommittee.
The full committee will continue to work together to find bipartisan
solutions to end veteran homelessness. H.R. 95 has 301 cosponsors,
which demonstrates this Chamber's commitment to ending veteran
homelessness and to working together to improve the lives of the
veterans we represent.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 95, the Homeless Veteran
Families Act. This bill would amend the Department of Veterans Affairs
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program to provide payments to
GPD providers for the services they provide to the children of homeless
veterans.
Mr. Speaker, while VA and other partners have been very successful in
decreasing the number of homeless veterans in the country by almost 50
percent since 2010, we still have an unacceptable number of veterans on
the streets every night.
The GPD program is a tool in VA's arsenal to help community
organizations provide services to homeless veterans by reimbursing them
for providing temporary housing and supportive services that promote
health and self-sufficiency among homeless veterans.
However, under current rules, community partners are not authorized
funding for providing services and shelter to the dependents of the
homeless veterans who they serve. This forces these organizations to
make a difficult choice of turning away homeless veterans with children
or finding another source of funding to provide services for them.
H.R. 95 would address this issue by amending current law to authorize
grant and per diem payments for the children of homeless veterans at
half the amount paid for each homeless veteran.
While I have some concerns about using medical care dollars to
provide these services, as they may detract from the already limited
resources available for providing services for homeless veterans
themselves, I am not going to oppose this approach today. I want what
is best for our veterans, and if this change helps community partners
provide the services they need to homeless veteran families, then it is
worthy of our support.
I thank the gentlewoman from California, my friend, Congresswoman
Julia Brownley, for sponsoring this bill, which has my full support,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend, the chairwoman of the Health
Subcommittee, and the author of this bill.
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for
yielding this afternoon, and I thank the ranking member of the
committee for his support of a very, very important bill for our
veterans, the Homeless Veteran Families Act.
As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I believe that it is
absolutely critical that veterans and their families receive the
housing support they need simply to get back on their feet.
[[Page H8136]]
Since 1994, the VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program
has provided homeless veterans with community-based transitional
housing and supportive services. This program funds community agencies
that provide such services to homeless veterans.
In fiscal year 2017 alone, the VA funded 600 community sites that
provided housing to more than 23,000 veterans through the use of over
12,000 transitional housing beds nationwide.
Unfortunately, many homeless veterans with children are unable to
obtain transitional housing and the support assistance they need under
the homeless grant program because housing providers only receive
payments from the VA for the veteran but not for any minor dependents
with their families.
Because housing a family requires more resources and beds, many
housing providers have been unable to house homeless families without
additional financial support. This problem has resulted in the lack of
access to very needed supportive housing and services for veterans with
children because the veteran is forced to choose between getting their
own housing assistance and services or caring for their minor dependent
child or children.
The VA has previously stated that approximately 8 percent of veterans
who entered grant per diem housing programs, and who had a full
assessment completed within 30 days prior to admission, had either full
or partial legal custody of their children. This was estimated to be
2,500 children in fiscal year 2017.
No veteran should be forced to choose between housing and much-needed
services or caring for their children. However, current law limits the
VA's authority to reimburse housing providers for the additional costs
associated with sheltering the dependent children of our homeless
veterans.
My bill, which we are voting on today, would provide for a partial
per diem for each minor child who is receiving services through this
program. This partial per diem would be an amount equal to 50 percent
of the daily cost of care. This would ensure that veterans and their
children are able to obtain the housing and services needed to help
them achieve residential stability; give them the opportunity to
increase their skill level and income; and, ultimately, obtain greater
self-determination and self-worth.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. TAKANO. I yield the gentlewoman from California an additional 1
minute.
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, providing housing to our
Nation's homeless veterans is an essential first step and critical to
everything in a veteran's life, including getting the healthcare they
have earned, taking advantage of veteran education benefits, getting a
job, and having the quality of life they have earned and deserved--and
what our country has promised.
Passage of this legislation will benefit veterans of all eras and
their minor children who are struggling and suffering with
homelessness.
My bill has over 300 cosponsors, which is indicative of the
bipartisan support for addressing this important and time-sensitive
issue. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and
I thank the chairman for bringing my bill to the floor.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon). She was a member of
the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a very passionate supporter of our
veterans.
After the hurricanes in Puerto Rico, she was kind enough to invite
me. I saw her passion. We went through the VA hospital together, the
outpatient clinics. I don't believe anyone in this Congress has more
care for our veterans than her.
{time} 1730
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear
friend for allowing me to speak and for his visit. And actually, that
was the first time ever the Veterans' Affairs Committee had a hearing
in Puerto Rico in more than 100 years. So we got two chairmen in Puerto
Rico in the last 2 years, and I am happy to say that Mr. Roe and Mr.
Takano were there this year.
And actually I have got good news. Finally, we got the money assigned
for the new clinic in Arecibo and the new clinic in Ponce after that
visit. So that is real good news. And we just received a VA deputy last
week, and they are talking about expanding the services of the
hospital, which is good.
Today I rise in full support of H.R. 95, the Homeless Veteran
Families Act introduced by my colleague Julia Brownley of California.
Homelessness is, unfortunately, one of the challenges many of our
veterans face upon separating from the Armed Forces. Consequently, the
Department of Veterans Affairs has made ending homelessness part of
their core mission.
Initiatives like the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program,
which funds community agencies that provide services to homeless
veterans, facilitates tackling these problems head-on.
H.R. 95 builds upon this program by authorizing the Department of
Veterans Affairs to pay partial per diem for children who are under the
care of a homeless veteran. We need to keep in mind that homelessness
can affect our veterans at any point, impacting not only their lives,
but the lives of their children.
Recent estimates indicate that there are close to 82 homeless
veterans in Puerto Rico, and we need to take this personally because
they just can't move to another state. With us living on an island, we
have got to have our community being served, and a program like
Homeless Providers Grant and the Per Diem Program will help us lower
this number to zero and will counter the inability of providers of
these services to turn down helping a veteran because he or she has
children under their care.
And I think that is the most important thing about this bill. It is
not only the veteran themselves that suffers, it is the family that
suffers with him or with her, and that is the reason I am a proud
cosponsor of this bill.
I commend Congresswoman Brownley for her leadership on this issue,
and, of course, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill. I
think it is important to recognize that we all need to take care of
these kinds of issues.
I thank Congressman Roe and Chairman Takano for visiting the island
this year. I think this is the first time ever that Puerto Rico has
received visits from two chairmen, and that means something for the
more than 105,000 veterans registered on the island.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
I think this is a great bill. Homelessness is a huge problem in this
country, and keeping our families together is a huge problem in this
country. This, I think, will be some of the best money that we ever
spend, if we can keep these families together. If a veteran is out
there with their spouse and they are trying the best they can, they
need these resources so they can keep that family unit together.
This bill should go through the House and the Senate unanimously. I
think it will, and with over 300 cosponsors, I feel like it will.
I want to thank Congresswoman Brownley, who is a tireless supporter
of veterans on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I thank her for
bringing this up, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this
bill, H.R. 95.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I certainly also want to congratulate and
thank Congresswoman Brownley, the Chair of our Health Subcommittee, for
bringing this legislation forward. And I also want to also express my
gratitude to Ranking Member Roe, former Chairman Roe. We both made a
commitment to the territory of Puerto Rico, and we want the people of
Puerto Rico to know that on a bipartisan basis the Veterans' Affairs
Committee cares about the service and the benefits that are owed to the
veterans of Puerto Rico.
So I urge all of my colleagues to pass H.R. 95, which addresses a
critical need for veterans that have children and who are in need of
housing to prevent them from being homeless. I yield back the balance
of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 95,
the ``Homeless Veteran Families Act.''
[[Page H8137]]
H.R. 95 updates the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment
calculation for entities furnishing services to homeless veterans to
include funding for a minor dependent.
The rate for per diem payments is the daily cost of care as estimated
by the grant recipient or eligible entity.
This bill would expand the per diem payment amount for a homeless
veteran who has care of a minor dependent to the daily cost of care,
plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50 percent of
such daily cost of care.
This bill is an intrinsic part of a much greater national movement to
recognize the transitional needs of all Veterans and their families
nationwide.
Our Veterans are America's indispensable asset; their dedication to
the United States Military and protecting the lives of the American
people is to be commended.
Lack of access to childcare presents a unique safety hazard to
homeless veterans' families, and puts a unique pressure on the shelters
and facilities in Houston.
Less than 3 percent of Veterans experiencing homelessness (2.9
percent) were in families with children.
Veteran women experiencing homelessness are more likely to be a part
of a family with children, compared to Veteran men.
Because of a lack of affordable health treatment and job prospects,
veterans represent about 12 percent of America's homeless population,
and approximately 50,000 veterans are homeless each night.
This bill will allow homeless veterans with children to receive
enhanced child care services.
When enacted, H.R. 95 will alleviate the financial burdens homeless
veterans experience with child care and assist them to transition into
the workforce.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 95 to
expand resources for homeless veterans with children.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 95.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. 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.
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