[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4482]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           TO EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF HOMELESS FOR VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANICE HAHN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2012

  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, no veteran should ever experience 
homelessness. I don't have to tell anyone in this body that this, 
unfortunately, is not the case. According to a point-in-time study, on 
one January night in 2009 an estimated 75,609 veterans experienced 
homelessness and veterans are vastly over-represented in the homeless 
population in America. The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed 
a number of programs to assist homeless veterans and, while more can be 
done, it's important to make sure that all homeless veterans can access 
the programs designed to help them.
  In order to qualify for benefits available to homeless veterans 
through the VA, an individual must meet the definition of ``homeless'' 
codified as part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. In 
2009, the HEARTH Act expanded the definition of homeless to reflect our 
present reality and include individuals in transitional housing, 
persons living in motels and persons who would imminently lose their 
housing. A change was also made to the McKinney-Vento Act to expand the 
definition of homeless to include individuals fleeing a situation of 
domestic violence or some other life-threatening condition. This 
change, however, is not currently reflected in the definition of 
``homeless veteran.''
  That is why I am introducing this legislation, which will correct and 
expand the definition of ``homeless veteran'' to include veterans who 
are fleeing situations of domestic violence. This small change will 
allow those veterans who find the courage and the means to leave their 
abusers the chance to access the benefits that should be available to 
all homeless veterans.
  By passing this bill, we will ensure that this especially vulnerable 
population of veterans has the chance to access benefits the Department 
of Veterans Affairs already provides. This bill is one small step to 
ensuring every homeless veteran can access the benefits they deserve.

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