Another sign of Congress’s focus on
ending homelessness for veterans
As further evidence of Congress’s growing focus on homeless veterans, the Senate passed its FY10 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriation Act, H. R. 3082, on November 17 with an amendment providing additional funding housing for homeless veterans.
Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) offered an amendment to the bill on November 6 to provide $50 million to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program that would redevelop vacant VA properties as housing for homeless veterans. Senator Johnson is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.
Senator Johnson anticipates the $50 million would allow for renovation of up to 50 vacant properties on VA medical campuses, which would then provide multi-unit housing opportunities for veterans. Services would be offered via local nonprofit agencies.
The Senate passed the amendment by a vote of 98-1 and the VA appropriations bill passed by a vote of 100-0. The House did not have a similar provision in its version of the bill, which it passed in July. This provision will be discussed in conference between the House and Senate.
On November 11, 2009, we published – No more homeless veterans! – a post that documented the 2500 homeless veterans in NJ and on Secretary of Veterans Affairs General Shinseki vowed to end veterans homelessness in five years.
As we noted in that post, ending homelessness for veterans requires Congress and President Barack Obama must ensure that all veterans have safe and permanent housing by quickly enacting the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act, S. 1547, and the Homes for Heroes Act, S. 1160.
On Tuesday, June 16, the House voted 417-2 in favor of the Homes for Heroes Act. All thirteen members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation supported this important piece of legislation that will expand and improve housing services for homeless veterans. The Senate bill S. 1160 is sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and co-sponsored by New Jersey Senator Menendez and Senator Lautenberg.
We reported on the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act, S. 1547 last Friday. Neither of our Senators has signed on to co-sponsor this legislation. However, there are sixteen other Senators who are co-sponsors. It is important for our members, allies and friends to continue to ask both of our Senators to support this legislation!
