Homes for Heroes Act Passed House Today- Will Help Cut Down On Epidemic Of Veterans’ Homelessness
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) continued her efforts to assist homeless veterans by voting for the Homes for Heroes Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan basis.
“The brave veterans who put their lives on the line for us deserve nothing but the best when they return home from overseas, and that is why continued action must be taken to cut down on the shamefully high number of veterans who are homeless on any given night in America,” said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. “That’s why I was proud to join with Democrats and Republicans to support today’s bipartisan effort that would improve the coordination of services for homeless veterans and require annual assessments that will help more veterans from falling into homelessness.”
The bipartisan Homes for Heroes Act of 2015 would establish a Special Assistant for Veterans’ Affairs and an annual report on veterans’ homelessness. The Special Assistant would coordinate all the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) programs and activities relating to veterans and serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It also would direct the Secretaries of HUD and VA to report annually to Congress with respect to veterans homelessness and housing assistance.
According to the National Coalition for Homelessness, on any given night in the United States, 49,933 veterans experience homelessness. Additionally, approximately 12 percent of the homeless adult population are veterans.
During her tenure in Congress, Bustos has made our nation’s veterans a top priority and has fought to improve their benefits, ensure greater access to care and better doctors, curb unemployment and homelessness and reduce the VA claims backlog.
