Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3329, the ``Homes for Heroes Act.'' I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to support our troops in their efforts to obtain homes. I thank my friend Congressman Al Green for this thoughtful legislation

This important piece of legislation amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veteran access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs; (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans; and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This legislation, directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families (that is, families with incomes not exceeding 50 percent of the area median income ).

H.R. 3326, amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to homeless veterans; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning.

Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations.

This legislation requires the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans; and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on HUD activities relating to veterans.

I firmly believe that we should celebrate our veterans, and I remain committed, as a Member of Congress, to ensuring that we respect our veterans. Veterans have kept their promise to serve our nation; they have willingly risked their lives to protect the country we all love. We must now ensure that we keep our promises to our veterans.

Currently, there are 25 million veterans in the United States. There are more than 1,633,000 veterans living in Texas and more than 32,000 veterans living in my Congressional district alone. I hope we will all take the time to show appreciation to those who have answered the call to duty. As the great British leader Winston Churchill famously stated, ``Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.''

With the approval of legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a decorated veteran of war, issued the first ``Veterans Day Proclamation'' which stated in part: ``In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.'' It was with that endearing spirit that America celebrated the first Veterans Day.

We must always remember the debt that we owe our fallen veterans that have paid the ultimate sacrifice. From the four surviving World War I veterans known to be living in the United States, to the over 300,000 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom we expect to see by the end of 2008. Our gratitude must continue to be unwavering to our soldiers and veterans.

In the words of President John F. Kennedy, ``As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.'' It is not simply enough to sing the praises of our nation's great veterans; I firmly believe that we must demonstrate by our actions how proud we are of our American heroes.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. I believe it is necessary for the nation to act now so that we all can pay respect, tribute, and homage to the lives of the armed services veterans who have fought to keep America free and have fought to make sure that all people and nations partake in the universal freedoms that we find so important in this country. These individuals have given so much and have paid us the ultimate sacrifice: the sacrifice of their lives. The least that we can do, is ensure that these veterans are able to secure homes when they return home from battle. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3329) to provide housing assistance for very low- income veterans, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act, and at this time I would like to thank the House leadership for allowing this legislation to come before the House expeditiously. I also thank Chairman Frank, the chairperson of the Financial Services Committee, for his outstanding service in helping us with this piece of legislation. Congresswoman Waters, who chairs the Subcommittee on Housing, is to be given a debt of gratitude as well, because without her help we could not have brought the bill to fruition. The staff has been outstanding. Ranking Member Capito on the Housing Subcommittee has been of great benefit to us, as well as Congressman Bachus, who is the ranking member on the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, of the many supporting organizations, I would like to especially thank the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. They have been with us and they have assisted us through the process. The cosponsor and co-lead, Congressman Michael Michaud, deserves a special expression of appreciation. He is the Chair of the Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee. Finally, we thank the 53 cosponsors, and we appreciate greatly the bipartisan support that this legislation enjoys.

Mr. Speaker, we live in the greatest and richest country in the world. We literally have housing for our astronauts, who are in space. We have housing for our farm animals, called barns. We have housing for our cars, called garages. One of every 110 persons is a millionaire. However, I am sorry to report, Mr. Speaker, that as many are sleeping in the suites of life, too many are sleeping on the streets of life.

Mr. Speaker, we have 800,000 homeless people in our country. One- fourth, or 200,000 of them, are veterans. Approximately 16,000 veterans are homeless in the State of Texas, 2,400 in my

City of Houston. Veterans make up 11 percent of the population, yet are 25 percent of the homeless. 1.5 million veterans have incomes below poverty, and that would be $10,787 per year for a single person who happens to be a veteran. 643,000 veterans have incomes below 50 percent of poverty. That would be $5,394 per year for a single veteran. Of the homeless veterans, nearly one-half are Vietnam vets. One-half have mental illnesses. Two-thirds suffer from alcohol or substance abuse. Fifty-six percent are African American or Latino.

The passage of this legislation will help to end homelessness among our veterans. More specifically, this legislation would establish the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within HUD. This special assistant within HUD would coordinate the services of homeless veterans, serve as a liaison to the Department of Veterans Affairs, to the States and to local officials, as well as nonprofit organizations.

This bill would establish a $200 million assistance program for permanent supportive housing and services to low income veterans. Low income veterans are those who are at 50 percent of the area median income. This bill would expand the highly successful HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program known as the HUD-VASH program. This bill authorizes 20,000 such vouchers on an annual basis.

The bill authorizes $1 million in HUD grants to assist housing and service providers with the execution of their projects. This bill would require HUD to submit a comprehensive report annually on the needs of veterans who are homeless and give an indication as to what steps are being taken under this program to eliminate homelessness among our veteran population.

Mr. Speaker, some may say that this is too little. Others may say that it is too much. It is our position that we do this before it is too late for many of our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act offered by the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Green.

In the week after our Nation celebrated its 232nd birthday, it is important that we take time to properly recognize the sacrifices of our Nation's veterans and those service men and women who are currently defending our freedoms and liberties in theaters across the world.

Like many of my colleagues, I have been to Walter Reed to visit our wounded warriors who have been injured in battle, and I am always touched by their spirit and courage. It goes without saying that our Nation and government must provide these veterans with the tools to succeed once they leave the military and the benefits they deserve for the sacrifices that they have made in the name of freedom.

This legislation improves one important aspect for our veterans, especially those who suffer from long-term physical and mental disabilities: That is access to affordable housing. The Veterans Administration is the only Federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless individuals, homeless veterans. Although limited to veterans and their dependants, the VA's major homeless specific programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless treatment and assistance services in this country.

The Department's homeless veterans programs were first authorized in 1987 and have grown and developed during that time. The program offers a number of services that include outreach to veterans living on the streets and who otherwise would not seek assistance, long-term sheltered transitional assistance and supportive permanent housing.

According to the VA, about one-third of the adult homeless population are veterans. That is staggering, I believe, with current population estimates suggesting about 154,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or overcrowded and substandard housing.

This legislation requires HUD to create a position within the Department to serve as a liaison to the Veterans Affairs Department. A Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs would ensure veterans receive proper access to HUD's housing assistance programs, coordinate all HUD programs and activities pertaining to veterans, and act as a liaison between HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Green's legislation also requires, as he noted, that HUD provide 20,000 rental vouchers for homeless veterans. It authorizes $200 million in fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year. It also requires the Department to maintain a constant level of funding in coordination with rising home costs. The measure allows family members of a veteran receiving a housing voucher to maintain the voucher and the home after the veteran's death.

The bill authorizes grants to nonprofits that sponsor housing projects for veterans making less than 50 percent of the median income of an area, assists veterans in obtaining housing or homeless assistance, and assists veterans with the plan and application process for HUD assistance programs. It also includes language to assure that any voucher program would not inhibit low income tax credits that are already in place.

I would like to thank Mr. Green for offering this legislation and for his efforts to improve housing for our veterans.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to my colleague the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act, because it is past time to address the rapid growth of our Nation's homeless veterans population and enhance affordable housing opportunities for returning veterans. Permanent supportive housing remains the number one unmet need of veterans. The National Alliance to End Homelessness found that nearly half a million of our Nation's veterans are severely rent-burdened and devote more than 50 percent of their income to rent.

The bill will strengthen housing opportunities for our returning veterans by creating a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, and authorizes $200 million for new construction of low income and homeless veteran housing and 20,000 new vouchers for homeless veterans. We have a responsibility to assure the well-being of these brave men and women, true American heroes, when they return home.

Veterans are twice as likely to be chronically homeless compared to other Americans. Additional obstacles include physical and mental health-related problems, weakened social networks, high stressful occupational demands and non-transferability of skills to civilian jobs, which create the need for additional supportive services for this population.

In fact, the Alliance to End Homelessness concluded veterans make up a disproportionate share of the homeless population. While veterans only represent 11 percent of the civilian population age 18 and over, they account for nearly 26 percent of our Nation's homeless population. This is clearly unacceptable. This disparity is especially concerning as our Nation's troops in Iraq and Afghanistan return home.

While the VA currently has over 19,000 transitional housing beds for homeless veterans and has invested in new initiatives specifically targeting at-risk populations, various Government Accountability Office, GAO, and VA studies indicate that the VA still lacks the capacity to provide timely access to health services for veterans at risk for homelessness.

I believe this bill will enhance supportive and affordable housing opportunities for veterans, and I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

I thank the ranking member for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act.

With all the problems veterans face today, too often Congress forgets the simple things, such as housing.

After members of our military have honorably served this great nation and want to start a life with their family, our country should provide them with the assistance to do so.

When some of our veterans return from battle, their fight continues. Whether it is wrestling with the effects of PTSD or struggling to reintegrate into civilian life, it is Congress's responsibility to help them and that is what the Homes for Heroes Act does.

I am very proud of what this bill accomplishes, such as the assistance provided to low-income vets, the HUD-VA liaison created for state and local governments, and the additional services provided to veterans with mental and addictive disorders.

As the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee under Veterans Affairs, I am aware of the unique issues facing veterans, and I thank Representative Green for introducing this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3329.