Homeless Veterans CREDIT Act

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, my friend from California, for moving this bill through the committee as quickly as he did.

I rise today in support of the bill, H.R. 1257, the Homeless Veterans Credit Repair, Enhancement, and Debt Improvement for Tomorrow Act.

We know that veterans' homelessness continues to be a blight on our Nation. Congress and advocates from across the country have worked hard to nearly halve the homeless veteran population in the past decade.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic jeopardized this progress by negatively impacting the credit and financial stability of our Nation's veterans.

Now is the time to redouble our efforts and do everything we can to ensure stable housing for veterans. We must start by examining the underlying causes of veteran homelessness in our Nation.

The VA has declared credit and financial counseling services a top 10 unmet need for our homeless veterans. My bill directs the Secretary of the VA to conduct a study of the credit and financial counseling services available to homeless veterans and veterans facing housing instability. The study will assess current services available to veterans and the barriers they face in utilizing them, including the COVID-19 pandemic and other health challenges.

During a time of such economic uncertainty, we must look out for our

most vulnerable communities, including homeless veterans and veterans experiencing housing instability. We have a responsibility to help those who served in uniform and stood ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The CREDIT Act will identify the credit and financial counseling services needed to help our veterans avoid financial pitfalls and make informed decisions about their future.

Madam Speaker, again, I thank Chairman Takano for his partnership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation. Together, we can improve veterans' financial literacy to build a better life for themselves after they complete their service to our country.

Madam Speaker, I also thank my staff member, Jake Freed, who basically came up with this idea, after talking to various veterans groups, and put this together.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1257, the Homeless Veterans Credit Act, and would like my good friend Chairman Pallone for his work to bring this bill to the floor.

The freedom and luxuries that we are afforded on a daily basis are made possible by the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. It is unthinkable that, after returning home from serving our country, veterans are often faced with several challenges including a lack of accessibility to quality and affordable housing. The state of Texas is home to the second largest population of veterans in the United States, and veterans homelessness is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in our communities.

That is why I am proud to support the Homeless Veterans Credit Act. This bill will direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the effectiveness of financial and credit counseling services currently available to homeless veterans and how those services can be improved so these veterans can move a step closer to securing stable housing, employment and income. Such studies are critical for us as legislators to determine the efficiency of the institutions, programs, and funding levels in place to assist veterans.

As Chair of the Congressional Homelessness Caucus, I remain committed to advocating on behalf of veterans experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. This pandemic has brought to light the stark inequities in access to housing for veterans, but I am confident that this bill will set the stage for transformative efforts to reform care for those in need.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to voting in favor of this bipartisan, commonsense legislation and would urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1257, as amended, the Homeless Veterans Credit Repair, Enhancement, and Debt Improvement for Tomorrow--or CREDIT--Act.

This bill would direct the VA to study the effects of financial and credit counseling for homeless veterans.

COVID-19 has impacted our economy and our lives in many ways.

The most recent Department of Housing and Urban Development Point-in- Time--or the PIT--count found that, on a single night in January of 2020, an estimated 37,252 veterans were homeless.

We must do everything we can to help eliminate veteran homelessness and prevent those who have worn the uniform of our country from having to worry about where they will lay their head at night.

This bill, which I am proud to support, would direct the VA to conduct a comprehensive study on the financial and credit counseling services for homeless veterans.

This study would use data from the Supportive Services for Veterans Families--or the SSVF--program to look at barriers that homeless veterans are facing in relation to financial counseling services.

I thank Congressman Pallone for his hard work on crafting this bill and for his continued support of our Nation's veterans.

This bill, as amended, also includes some technical changes to the omnibus bill that was signed into law earlier this year that were requested by the Committee on Appropriations.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1257) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the effect of financial and credit counseling for homeless veterans and veterans experiencing housing instability, as amended.

Madam 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. 1257, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, credit and financial counseling services remain a top 10 unmet need for veterans experiencing or who are at risk of homelessness.

This bill directs the VA to study the efficacy and barriers to credit and financial counseling for homeless and unstably housed veterans, and to provide recommendations for improvements to these services.

Under the Homeless Veterans CREDIT Act, the Secretary will work with outside organizations to review these barriers, and submit to Congress concrete steps we can take to expand credit access to veterans in need.

H.R. 1257, as amended, has the support of VA and key veteran service organizations, like the VFW, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), my good friend, the author of this critical piece of legislation, and also the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Madam Speaker, we know that preventing homelessness is especially critical as we try to emerge out of this pandemic.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support Chairman Pallone's bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.