[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H194-H195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




VETERAN HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND UNEMPLOYMENT SUPPORT EXTENSION ACT OF 
                                  2020

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2398) to amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 and 
title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH 
program, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit annual 
reports to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House 
of Representatives regarding homeless veterans, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2398

       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 ``Veteran Housing 
     Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act of 
     2020'' or the ``Veteran HOUSE Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HUD-VASH.

       (a) HUD Provisions.--Section 8(o)(19) of the United States 
     Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(D) Veteran defined.--In this paragraph, the term 
     `veteran' has the meaning given that term in section 2002(b) 
     of title 38, United States Code.''.
       (b) VHA Case Managers.--Subsection (b) of section 2003 of 
     title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
     the following: ``In the case of vouchers provided under the 
     HUD-VASH program under section 8(o)(19) of such Act, for 
     purposes of the preceding sentence, the term `veteran' shall 
     have the meaning given such term in section 2002(b) of this 
     title.''.

     SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORTS.

       (a) In General.--Not less frequently than once each year, 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives a report on the homelessness services 
     provided under programs of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, including services under HUD-VASH program under 
     section 8(o)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
     U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)).
       (b) Included Information.--Each such annual report shall 
     include, with respect to the year preceding the submittal of 
     the report, a statement of the number of eligible individuals 
     who were furnished such homelessness services and the number 
     of individuals furnished such services under each such 
     program, disaggregated by the number of men who received such 
     services and the number of women who received such services, 
     and such other information as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2398, the Veteran 
Housing Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act. Put 
simply, this bill will help more veterans get out of homelessness 
without increasing current funding levels.
  It is a national embarrassment that we still have an estimated 37,000 
veterans who experienced homelessness on any given night in 2019. To 
our credit we have a very successful program that is focused on ending 
homelessness among veterans. It is called the HUD-VASH program.
  The HUD-VASH program is largely credited for the nearly 50 percent 
decrease in the homeless veteran population over the past decade. 
Unfortunately, many of these vouchers go unutilized year after year due 
in part to the fact that veterans are not eligible for the HUD-VASH 
program if they received an other than honorable discharge from the 
military.
  Let's be clear, an other than honorable discharge should not be 
confused with a dishonorable discharge. A servicemember can receive an 
other than honorable discharge for fairly minor infractions such as 
lapses in military good order and discipline.
  Moreover, veterans who are repeatedly deployed tend to suffer more 
frequently from serious mental health issues. We know that mental 
health issues are correlated with higher rates of other than honorable 
discharges as well as an increased likelihood of experiencing 
homelessness upon leaving the military. H.R. 2398 would correct this 
injustice by ensuring that veterans who received an other than 
honorable discharge are not excluded from the HUD-VASH program.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, Mr. Heck and Mr. 
Peters, for introducing this critical legislation.
  I strongly support this legislation, I urge my colleagues to do the 
same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2398. I want to thank my 
friend, Mr. Peters from California, for his work on this legislation 
and my colleague on the House Financial Services Committee, Mr. Stivers 
of Ohio. We love working together to benefit our veterans in the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee and the House Financial Services Committee.
  As our chairwoman simply said, Congress should not rest until every 
homeless veteran has a roof over his or her head. Despite all of our 
efforts and all the leadership we have contributed for 3 decades, it is 
still shocking to hear Ms. Waters say that 37,000 veterans are reported 
homeless on any given night in our country.
  The idea of partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs dates back to the 
1990s. It was a pleasure to serve then for President George H. W. Bush 
and to work with Secretary Jack Kemp at HUD when the partnership was 
envisioned. Jack Kemp of New York and of Vice Presidential candidate 
fame was a strong Member of this House and someone who worked hard for 
communities all over this country, particularly for communities that 
are struggling to make sure they have access to a better future. Jack 
Kemp demonstrated a lot of leadership in outlining this partnership 
between the VA and HUD for housing vouchers dedicated to homeless 
veterans.
  We combined that with the VA case management services to provide 
healthcare, mental health treatment, substance abuse counseling, job 
placement, and more. We know this works. This is why so many of us 
speak out so passionately about shared services and comprehensive case 
management for our homeless. We know that all of that is important for 
them to have a better future.
  I work with the Veterans' Affairs homeless coordinator in Little 
Rock, Arkansas, on a regular basis, Estella Morris, and I have seen her 
work so successfully within this program to benefit constituents in my 
hometown of Little Rock.
  This partnership on a national basis has proven to be very successful 
in all the States of our land, awarding almost 100,000 vouchers over 
the past 10 years to those who have honorably served their country. 
H.R. 2398 would build on that success by requiring annual reporting 
from the VA to disclose demographic information and how

[[Page H195]]

these vouchers are distributed. With several communities around the 
country having made great strides to effectively end veteran 
homelessness, it is crucial that we use this information to better 
target the HUD-VASH voucher program in those communities that need them 
the most.
  The bill would also expand the eligibility for the program, as 
Chairwoman Waters described, to veterans who were discharged other than 
honorably, helping that vulnerable population have access to this 
crucial resource.
  Since 2010, the number of homeless veterans has been cut in half. 
This Congress has made it a priority and the Obama administration and 
the Trump administration have made this a priority. These are positive 
signs, but there is more to do and this bill will help achieve the goal 
of ending veterans' homelessness.
  I, again, would like to thank Mr. Stivers, the ranking member of the 
Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee in the House 
and a cosponsor of the bill for his leadership on the issue and in 
working with Mr. Peters.

  Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Peters), who is the sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Mr. PETERS. Madam Speaker, San Diego County is home to over 230,000 
veterans. Each year thousands of servicemembers exit the military and 
choose to stay in San Diego. It has been one of my greatest priorities 
in Congress to support those in the Armed Forces transitioning back 
into civilian life. The transition can be tougher for some people than 
for others. Many veterans struggle with mental health conditions like 
post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury, and they may turn to 
alcohol or drugs to deal with these mental health issues.
  Studies have shown that the top two risk factors to becoming homeless 
are mental health issues and substance use disorders. The next biggest 
risk factor is economic insecurity. In expensive regions like ours, 
rising housing costs can exacerbate these risks and drive up the rate 
of homelessness. In our county we have over 1,000 veterans experiencing 
homelessness. We have made serious progress, as my colleague, Mr. Hill, 
said, here in Congress in reducing the number of veterans experiencing 
homelessness primarily due to the HUD-VA Supportive Housing, or HUD-
VASH, voucher program, which aims to serve chronically homeless 
veterans. HUD-VASH recognizes housing first as the best way to end 
homelessness and couples rental assistance with case management 
services from the VA.
  Since this partnership was forged between HUD and VA in 2019, the 
rate of veteran homelessness has been cut in half. HUD-VASH works, and 
I have spent the past several years supporting the program and looking 
for ways to improve it.

                              {time}  1745

  One of those ways to improve this program is to expand eligibility 
for those who don't have access to the program.
  Currently, veterans with other than honorable discharges are not 
eligible for HUD-VASH because, generally, they don't have access to VA 
healthcare. A veteran could receive, I think as Chairwoman Waters 
mentioned, an other than honorable discharge for administrative or 
relatively minor reasons.
  This eligibility gap prevents thousands of homeless veterans from 
being housed while receiving critical supportive services. Now, 
Congress has recognized the value of extending access to veterans for 
other VA homelessness service programs. Two years ago, we allowed other 
than honorable veterans to access the grant and per diem program for 
transitional housing and supportive services for veteran families for 
rapid rehousing.
  This bill, my bill, the bipartisan Veteran HOUSE Act, closes this 
gap. The legislation expands eligibility for the HUD-VASH program to 
include veterans with other than honorable, but not dishonorable, 
discharges.
  We know how to end veteran homelessness. Several cities across the 
country have already achieved functional zero. HUD-VASH is one of the 
most vital tools we have to accomplish this goal, and we must make sure 
more homeless veterans have access to this resource.
  This bill will see that at least 1,300 additional veterans are 
eventually served by HUD-VASH and will stop more homeless veterans from 
falling through the cracks.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the Financial Services Committee, particularly 
Chairwoman Waters, Mr. Heck, and Mr. Stivers, for moving this bill 
through their subcommittee. I also thank my colleagues on the House 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Chairman Takano and Chairman Levin, for 
taking swift action on this bill last year. Both committees passed this 
bill with unanimous support.
  Finally, I thank all the local organizations in San Diego for 
supporting this bill, as well as the National Alliance to End 
Homelessness and many national veterans service organizations, 
including The American Legion, the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, and 
Paralyzed Veterans of America.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Veterans 
HOUSE Act, and I call on the Senate to act on this bill to help more 
homeless veterans.
  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, this is a good bill. This is a 
bill that will help move more people to shelter, particularly our 
veterans, who are so in need.
  When I think about Jack Kemp and his inspiration for this so many 
years ago, he frequently quoted Theodore Roosevelt's great quote, which 
was: ``Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you 
care.''
  Certainly, that is apropos here because Mr. Peters and the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs and the members, both Republicans and Democrats, 
on the House Financial Services Committee care about solving this 
crisis. We care about working with our local partners to make our 
communities a better place.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Stivers for his work and my friend Mr. 
Peters. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, I again thank Representatives Peters and Heck for 
bringing forth this important legislation.
  We were reminded only last week of the commitment of those who served 
in the United States armed services. We must continue to do all we can 
to ensure that those who have served receive the support they need. The 
reforms in H.R. 2398 will do exactly that.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2398, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam 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.

                          ____________________