U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800

Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001

28-175 PDF 2007

S. HRG. 109–533

LOOKING AT OUR HOMELESS VETERANS

PROGRAMS: HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY?

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

MARCH 16, 2006

Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS 

LARRY CRAIG, Idaho, Chairman 

ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania 

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas 

LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina 

RICHARD BURR, North Carolina 

JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota 

JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii, Ranking Member 

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia 

JAMES M. JEFFORDS, (I) Vermont 

PATTY MURRAY, Washington 

BARACK OBAMA, Illinois 

KEN SALAZAR, Colorado 

LUPE WISSEL, Majority Staff Director 

D. NOELANI KALIPI, Minority Staff Director 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

MARCH 16, 2006

SENATORS 

Page 

Craig, Hon. Larry, Chairman, U.S. Senator from Idaho ...................................... 1

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 1

Akaka, Hon. Daniel K., Ranking Member, U.S. Senator from Hawaii ............... 2

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3

Obama, Hon. Barack, U.S. Senator from Illinois .................................................. 17

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 17

Salazar, Hon. Ken, U.S. Senator from Colorado ................................................... 33

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 33

WITNESSES 

Blecker, Michael, Executive Director, Swords to Plowshares, San Francisco, 

California; on behalf of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans .......... 4

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 6

Belcher, Alan, President, Board of Directors, Transitional Living Services, 

Woodstock, Illinois ............................................................................................... 18

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 19

Cantwell, Thomas R., Jr., Manager, Cloudbreak Development, LLC, 

Inglewood, California ........................................................................................... 22

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 24

Table 1. Veterans in Progress Program Objectives ................................ 27

Table 2. Sobriety Maintenance ................................................................. 29

Table 3. Transition to Long-Term Housing ............................................. 30

Table 4. Housing Stability ........................................................................ 30

Table 5. Job Placement ............................................................................. 31

Exhibit A.—U.S. VETS Housing Program .............................................. 32

Dougherty, Peter H., Director, Homeless Veterans Programs, Department 

of Veterans Affairs; accompanied by Paul E. Smits, Associate Chief Consultant, Homeless and Residential Treatment Programs, Department of Veterans Affairs; and Roger Casey, Program Manager, Homeless Grant and 

Per Diem Program, Department of Veterans Affairs ........................................ 39

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 41

Response to written questions submitted by Hon. Barack Obama .............. 46

Ciccolella, Hon. Charles S., Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment 

and Training, Department of Labor ................................................................... 47

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 48

Charts: Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program .............................. 51

Mangano, Philip F., Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness ................................................................................................................. 53

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 55

APPENDIX 

Burr, Hon. Richard, U.S. Senator from North Carolina, prepared statement ... 63

Miller, Sandra A., Chair, Homeless Veterans Task Force, Vietnam Veterans 

of America, prepared statement .......................................................................... 63

(1)

LOOKING AT OUR HOMELESS VETERANS 

PROGRAMS: HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY? 

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006

U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:57 a.m., in room 

418, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Larry E. Craig, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senators Craig, Akaka, Obama, and Salazar. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LARRY E. CRAIG, CHAIRMAN,

U.S. SENATOR FROM IDAHO 

Chairman CRAIG. Good morning. We are doing something very 

unusual in the history of the Senate. We will be starting the hearing early today because we have been thrown a curve, and that is 

we are in a marathon voting session with the budget resolution. At 

about 10:40, Senator Akaka and I are going to have to leave for a 

series of votes, so we are going to have to abbreviate the whole 

process today. We still want to get all of you in, those who have 

come to testify, and so we will certainly accommodate and feel obligated to do so. 

Obviously, dealing with America’s homeless veterans is a critical 

and important issue to us. This Committee has focused on this 

problem and how to resolve it, and will continue to as we look at 

it not only today, but into the future. 

This year alone, more than a half dozen Federal agencies will devote over $2 billion to homelessness. The VA alone will spend upwards of $221 million to treat the underlying conditions and situations. It is important that we know how that is working because 

reports indicate that there are still way too many homeless veterans. I think we must also pursue, as it relates to what triggers 

a program, who is a homeless veteran, how that individual is identified and defined, and that is going to be an important part of the 

issue. 

I will submit the rest of my opening statement for the record. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Craig follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. LARRY E. CRAIG, CHAIRMAN,

U.S. SENATOR FROM IDAHO

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will now 

come to order. 

Today’s examination of homeless veteran programs is a timely one. Public Law 

107–95 was enacted in December 2001, and many on this Committee had a hand 

in crafting it. But, that was the last authorization of many of the programs aimed 

2

at preventing and reducing homelessness amongst veterans. A number of those authorizations have expired or will expire this year. 

Today, we will examine what is working, what isn’t, whether there is duplication 

that might be eliminated, and whether there are deficiencies that must be addressed. And, as the witness panels suggest, I am not only interested in hearing 

from the government agencies that administer these programs. I also want to hear 

from those in our communities who have, and continue to, help homeless veterans 

recover and rehabilitate in their hometowns. 

The statistics are staggering. Forty-five percent of homeless veterans have a mental illness. Half suffer from addiction. Over a third have both psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. 

This year alone, more than a half dozen Federal agencies will devote over $2 billion to homelessness. VA alone will spend upward of $221 million on grants, housing, and treatment of the underlying conditions. In fact, the budget we are debating 

this week includes record-level funding for the sixth straight year for targeted programs for homeless veterans. These figures don’t include the total costs of the law 

enforcement and emergency room services of the homeless, which are astounding. 

America’s chronically homeless are some of the most expensive people in communities across this country, yet they live lives most of us can’t imagine. Today I hope 

to learn what is being done to assist homeless veterans resume their self-sufficiency 

and independence. 

The comprehensive services needed make this a complex challenge. I am particularly interested in four distinct, but equally important matters. 

First, who is a homeless veteran? One of our biggest challenges, as I see it, is 

that there is no settled definition of homelessness. Some programs follow definitions 

in law, and some have adopted modified understandings. But, varying interpretations are leading to varying eligibility. If we are to consider expanding programs to 

include those who are ‘‘imminently at risk’’ of homelessness, we must first agree 

upon who is homeless, and who is imminently at risk. 

Second, are local partners incentivized to help solve this problem? Our communities are on the front lines of homelessness, and VA employees in suburban and 

rural areas have told me of their difficulty in attracting community participants in 

the Grant and Per Diem and other programs. 

Third, what is being done to prevent future homelessness? I am concerned by accounts of returning OEF/OIF soldiers spending holidays in shelters across this country. And finally, as the number of women veterans rises, are we prepared to meet 

their needs? We are privileged today to have two panels of witnesses to speak on 

this very important issue. On our first panel is Pete Dougherty, Director of VA’s Office of Homeless Veterans Programs. Pete is joined today by Paul Smits and Roger 

Casey, both of VA. 

Representing the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Program is Assistant Secretary ‘‘Chick’’ Ciccolella, and representing the Interagency 

Council on Homelessness, Executive Director Philip Mangano. 

Shortly, we will be joined on the second panel by Michael Blecker, representing 

the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans; Alan Belcher, President of Board of 

Directors of Transitional Living Services in Woodstock, Illinois; and Tim Cantwell, 

Manager of Cloudbreak Development in Inglewood, CA. 

Gentlemen, I welcome all of you here today and I look forward to your testimony. 

First, I want to yield to the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

Senator Daniel Akaka.

Chairman CRAIG. I would turn to Senator Akaka for any additional comments he would like to make. 

STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA, RANKING MEMBER,

U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII 

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I enjoy 

working with you and with the staffs and look forward to continuing with this problem that we have. 

I want to welcome our witnesses. I know we will have two panels, and we certainly join you in trying to determine how we can 

help the homeless. We know you are out there trying to help the 

homeless. It has really been a problem of the veterans of our country. 

3

Mr. Chairman, I too, want to submit my statement and we would 

like to hear from the witnesses. Thank you. 

Chairman CRAIG. Senator, thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Akaka follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA, RANKING MEMBER,

U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII

It is certainly a pleasure to be here today. We are examining what VA and the 

Department of Labor are doing to help homeless veterans. We are joined here by 

two panels of witnesses, all of whom are dedicated toward helping homeless veterans. Sadly, they are not short of work, as it has been estimated that veterans 

comprise approximately one-third of the total homeless population. 

Of the Vietnam Era veterans, there are more homeless veterans today than there 

were casualties in the entire Vietnam War. For too long, the causes of homelessness, 

alcohol and drug abuse, PTSD, and transition from military to civilian life have not 

been appropriately addressed. Many veterans suffer from psychological and substance abuse problems that put them at risk for becoming homeless. We must lay 

the groundwork to ensure this tragic cycle does not repeat itself with the veterans 

of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF). 

Just in the first part of this year, VA has seen a 30 percent increase in the number of veterans of OIF/OEF who may have PTSD, and a 29 percent increase in OIF/

OEF veterans with substance abuse problems. Resources must be made available 

to ensure that VA can provide these veterans with the care that they need and to 

keep them off the streets. 

It is particularly troubling to me that an estimated 56 percent of today’s homeless 

veterans are minorities. The homeless rate in my home state of Hawaii has nearly 

doubled since early 2000—with the majority of Hawaii’s new homeless being Native 

Hawaiians. The city of Honolulu has a tremendous problem with affordable housing, 

increasing the possibility of becoming homeless for those who already struggle to 

make ends meet. 

Over the last 10 to 15 years, VA has done much to address homelessness among 

veterans and has undertaken various initiatives to combat this problem. However, 

there is still much more that can and should be done. Today’s hearing will give us 

the opportunity to hear what VA, Labor, and community-based providers are doing 

successfully, as well as to find out what the next steps should be. 

I ask that we all keep in mind the consequences of failing to help veterans with 

PTSD, substance abuse disorders, employment issues, or a seamless transition from 

military to civilian life. We are failing in our responsibilities if we do not address 

these issues adequately. Our focus should not just be on getting homeless veterans 

off the streets through what is known as ‘‘warehousing’’, but actually getting them 

back on their feet and motivated toward becoming productive citizens again. 

I look forward to working with all of you to eradicate homelessness among our 

veterans. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman CRAIG. We are going to reverse panel order this morning because of those who have traveled a long distance to be here. 

We want to make sure we get to them first before we get testimony 

from those who are residents here in the District or in the area. 

So we have asked the second panel to come first, Michael 

Blecker, Executive Director, Swords to Plowshares, San Francisco, 

California, representing the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans; Mr. Alan Belcher, President of Board of Directors, Traditional Living Services, Woodstock, Illinois; and Tim Cantwell, Manager, Cloudbreak Development, Inglewood, California. 

Michael, we will start with you this morning. All of your full 

written statements will be a part of the record. Please proceed. 

4

STATEMENT OF MICHAEL BLECKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; 

ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS 

VETERANS 

Mr. BLECKER. Thank you very much. I am Michael Blecker and 

it has been my honor to work with and on behalf of veterans on 

the community-based level for the last 30 years. I am also one of 

the founders of the National Coalition for Homeless Vets (NCHV), 

on whose behalf I am testifying. 

NCHV was established in 1990 as a nonprofit organization with 

the mission of ending homelessness among veterans by shaping 

public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of 

service providers. NCHV represents over 250 community-based and 

faith-based organizations that work with homeless veterans. NCHV 

provides valuable technical assistance with member agencies, and 

these agencies look to NCHV to help us communicate with policymakers who are also interested in resolving this profound issue. 

The written testimony provided by NCHV shows the kind of hardhitting analysis that is so significant and so important, because we 

are in the community doing the work. 

I am really proud to represent the community-based system of 

care for these 250 agencies. Just who are these community-based 

organizations? Well, these organizations all have their own unique 

story, and are the product of blood, sweat, and tears. We are the 

ones that bring the services to the table. We are the ones on the 

front line. We work closely with the VA to address this terrible 

problem of homelessness. 

Many of us are driven by the same values that drove us when 

we were in combat or in the military, which is that you just have 

to take care of yourself and your buddies, and no matter, whether 

the war is popular or not popular, you have to go on. You have to 

persevere, and you have to be determined. 

We created these programs. They weren’t given to us on a silver 

platter. For example, the programs we have in San Francisco on 

Treasure Island and Presidio, we fought and struggled to get these 

programs going. We got the support of our communities. We built 

support from our boards of directors. That is who the CBOs are. 

We found folks who are in the community that are successful, 

maybe it is time to turn to their brothers and sisters who still need 

help. That is who CBOs are around the country. 

We have a tough job ahead of us. We have a tough job because 

homelessness is a tough job, whatever number you use. The numbers are enormous and staggering. There shouldn’t be one homeless 

vet, and whether you are arguing that there are 200,000 or less 

than 200,000, the veterans who are in poverty, who are suffering 

today—right now as we speak— are those whom we need to put 

our heads together and work as hard as we can, for they deserve 

nothing but the best. 

The problem, I think, is also compounded by the fact that of 

these veterans, nearly half served during the Vietnam War. That 

tells you they are 55 and older. Probably half are minorities, with 

most being African-Americans. They have a range of issues besides 

mental health and addiction issues. They also suffer a lot of primary health care problems. They are often older than their years. 

5

They suffer from issues like diabetes, high blood pressure and 

other primary health care issues, and issues of neglect. I would 

argue that veterans, despite even a disproportionate number of the 

homeless population, are even a greater percentage of the chronic 

homeless population because of all these factors. So we have our 

work cut out for us and we are determined to work hard. 

I want to talk about a very important program that has allowed 

the community-based network to do its job. That is the Grant and 

Per Diem Program. This Grant and Per Diem Program is funded 

by the VA and set up as a partnership for the VA to work with the 

community to address homelessness. One of the key features about 

addressing homelessness is bringing beds to the table, and creating 

programs. The Grant and Per Diem Program is one of the programs that allows these community agents to receive some funding 

to move ahead, and that is why there are 250 programs involved 

and there are nearly 10,000 beds for homeless veterans today. 

These are the programs that bring not just housing, but very enriched services to the homeless. CBOs have legal services, employment and training services, social services, crisis counseling, outreach programs. It takes all of those programs. You can’t just have 

one service. You have to have multi-services. So you need help, you 

need funding from all different accounts to make a difference. 

For each of these projects, each story is different. Each community is different. Each community has the partnership and the support that allows them to survive. 

I also want to say something about the HVRP program—Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project—that is part of the Department of Labor. It is also a key ingredient, in allowing us to be successful. 

I want to reserve a few of my comments about Iraq war veterans. 

We already have Iraqi war vets who seek housing assistance, and 

not just at Swords, but throughout the entire community. According to a recent study by Colonel Charles Hoge, M.D., published in 

the Journal of Medicine, fully a third of those seeking help from 

the VA—these are current soldiers—are requesting mental health 

services. Our more than 30 years of working with veterans tells us 

that these war vets are at high risk of homelessness. 

The Iraq vets we have spoken to tend to suffer from PTSD or 

other mental health conditions. They are unable to work on a regular basis. They are predisposed for other risk factors, including 

problems at home, co-occurring substance abuse, and even struggles establishing a VA disability claim. It is really crucial that we 

help them now. We have a national obligation to prevent what happened to our other generations of war veterans. We have to stop 

homelessness, and we owe it to the men and women who are fighting and dying right now. 

Chairman CRAIG. Michael, thank you. Thank you very much for 

that excellent statement. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Blecker follows:]

6

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MICHAEL BLECKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SWORDS TO

PLOWSHARES, ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS VETERANS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Part I.—Homelessness Among Veterans 

• Nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night; more than 400,000 

experience homelessness over the course of a year. 

• Like their non-veteran counterparts, veterans are at high risk of homelessness 

due to extremely low or no income, dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in 

overcrowded or substandard housing, and lack of access to health care. 

• In addition to these shared factors, a large number of homeless veterans experience problems that are directly traceable to their experience in military service or 

to their return to civilian society without appropriate transitional supports. 

• Preventing and ending homelessness among veterans requires general responses of benefit to homeless persons and persons at risk for homelessness and 

specialized responses targeted to homeless veterans. 

Part II.—VA and DOL Specialized Homeless Veteran Programs 

• Enact the Sheltering All Veterans Act (S. 1180). 

• Reauthorize the Homeless Provider Grant and Per Diem Program for at least 

a 5-year period at the $200 million authorization level. 

• Require VA to pay GPD grantees per diem payments without adjustments. 

• Reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program for a 5-year period 

at the $50 million authorization level. 

• Expand the eligible population for HVRP services to include veterans at imminent risk of homelessness. 

• Require VA outreach plans and outreach efforts to add homelessness prevention 

matter as expected outreach content, including information on risk factors for homelessness, a self-assessment of risk factors, and contact information for preventative 

assistance associated with homelessness. 

• Eliminate the 60-day restriction on access to the Homeless Veteran Dental Care 

benefit. 

• Reauthorize the Homeless Veteran Service Provider Technical Assistance Program for a 5-year period at the $1 million authorization level. 

• Establish a specialized homeless program specific purpose account within the 

VA medical services appropriation. 

• Authorize grants to homeless veteran service providers for public benefit and 

veteran benefit outreach, application assistance, and reconsiderations and appeals 

support. 

Part III.—VA Surplus Property 

• Require VA to select the McKinney-Vento Title V Surplus Property Program as 

its first method for transferring real property to homeless service providers. 

• Require VA to ensure that space agreements with homeless service providers 

are set without charge or at least at a rate not to exceed the direct costs associated 

with making it available. 

• Urge the VA Secretary to take actions to assure greater usage of VA capital assets to respond to the human needs of veterans (and low-income persons in general 

secondarily). 

Part IV.—Servicemember Transition 

• Enact the Veterans’ Enhanced Transition Services Act (S. 1341). 

• Establish a policy of universal servicemember attendance in the Department of 

Labor’s Transition Assistance Program. 

• Strengthen DOD preseparation counseling to ensure equity in its delivery to 

servicemembers regardless of component, branch, rank, duty station, and other factors. 

Part V.—Permanent Housing for Low-Income Veterans 

• Enact the Services to Prevent Veterans’ Homelessness Act (S. 1991). 

• Introduce and enact the Veterans’ Housing Equity Act, NCHV’s legislative proposal to develop and expand permanent housing opportunities for very low-income 

veterans. 

• Ensure completion of Government Accountability Office study on housing assistance to low-income veterans. 

7

INTRODUCTION

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans appreciates the opportunity to submit testimony on Federal efforts to end chronic homelessness and stem future homelessness amongst veterans. 

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV), established in 1990, is a 

nonprofit organization with the mission of ending homelessness among veterans by 

shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service 

providers. NCHV’s over 250 member organizations in the states and territories provide housing and supportive services to homeless veterans and their families, such 

as street outreach, drop-in centers, emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent housing, recuperative care, hospice care, food and clothing, primary health 

care, addiction and mental health services, employment supports, educational assistance, legal aid and veterans’ and public benefit advocacy. 

Our statement is organized in five parts. The first part offers a general overview 

on homelessness among veterans. The second part presents our recommendations 

for reauthorizing and strengthening VA and DOL specialized homeless veteran programs. The third part outlines legislative and management recommendations regarding the use of VA surplus property for homeless purposes. The fourth part presents our legislative recommendations on servicemember transition, a strategy for 

preventing veteran homelessness. The fifth part presents our recommendations regarding permanent housing for homeless and other low-income veterans. 

Part I.—Homelessness Among Veterans 

The VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night; 

more than 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one of every three homeless adult males sleeping in a doorway, alley, box, 

car, barn or other location not fit for human habitation in our urban, suburban, and 

rural communities has served our nation in the Armed Forces. Homeless veterans 

are mostly males (2 percent are females). 54 percent are people of color. The vast 

majority are single, although service providers are reporting an increased number 

of veterans with children seeking their assistance. 45 percent have a mental illness. 

50 percent have an addiction. 

America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korea, the Cold War, 

Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America, Afghanistan, and Iraq. 47 percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. More than 67 percent served our nation for at least 3 years and 33 percent were stationed in a war zone. 

Male veterans are 1.3 times as likely to become homeless as their non-veteran 

counterparts, and female veterans are 3.6 times as likely to become homeless as 

their non-veteran counterparts. A random survey of homeless veteran service providers conducted in November 2005 by NCHV suggests the homeless veteran population is changing in profile. Results of the survey identify three veteran subpopulations that may present significant increases in demand for services in the immediate 

future: aging Vietnam veterans, women veterans, and combat veterans of America’s 

current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Like their non-veteran counterparts, veterans are at high risk of homelessness 

due to extremely low or no income, dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in 

overcrowded or substandard housing, and lack of access to health care. In addition 

to these shared factors, a large number of at-risk veterans live with post traumatic 

stress disorders and addictions acquired during or exacerbated by their military 

service. In addition, their family, social, and professional networks are fractured due 

to lengthy periods away from their communities of origin and their jobs. These problems are directly traceable to their experience in military service or to their return 

to civilian society without appropriate transitional supports. 

Contrary to the perceptions that our nation’s veterans are well-supported, in fact 

many go without the services they require and are eligible to receive. One and a 

half million veterans have incomes that fall below the Federal poverty level, including 634,000 living below 50 percent of the Federal poverty level. Neither the VA, 

state or county departments of veteran affairs, nor community-based and faithbased service providers are adequately resourced to respond to these veterans’ 

health, housing, and supportive services needs. For example, the VA reports that 

its homeless treatment and community-based assistance network serves 100,000 

veterans annually. With an estimated 400,000 veterans experiencing homelessness 

at some time during a year and the VA reaching only 25 percent of those in need, 

300,000 veterans remain without services from the department responsible for supporting them. Likewise, other Federal, state, and local public agencies—notably 

housing and public health departments—are not adequately responding to the housVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
8

ing, health care and supportive services needs of veterans. Indeed, it appears that 

veterans fail to register as a target group for these agencies. 

Like their non-veteran counterparts, preventing and ending homelessness among 

veterans requires public commitment and action—including Congressional action—

to ensure access to housing, income, and health security. This must be accomplished 

both through general responses of benefit to homeless persons and persons at highrisk for homelessness and through specialized responses targeted to homeless veterans. 

Part II.—VA and DOL Specialized Homeless Veteran Programs 

Congress has established a small set of programs to address homelessness among 

veterans. The bulk of these programs are administered by the U.S. Department of 

Veterans Affairs. Collectively, they are identified as VA’s ‘‘specialized homeless programs’’ and include medical care, domiciliary care, transitional housing, and supportive services centers. The programs reside within the Mental Health Service of 

the Veterans’ Health Administration. Total spending on VA specialized homeless 

programs amounted to $182 million in fiscal year 2005 and is estimated to reach 

$224 million in fiscal year 2006. The Department projects fiscal year 2007 spending 

on VA homeless programs to reach $244 million, should Congress accept the President’s budget request. These specialized homeless programs function not only as a 

safety net for homeless veterans unable or hesitant to access emergency shelter, 

transitional housing or supportive services organized for the general population, 

they also function as a safety valve when other VA programs fail—largely due to 

insufficient resources—to reach veterans at high-risk of homelessness, such as veterans with chronic mental illnesses and addictions. 

In addition, the Department of Labor (DOL) administers the Homeless Veterans 

Reintegration Program (HVRP), a job placement and supportive services program 

targeted to veterans experiencing homelessness. Total spending on HVRP amounted 

to $20 million in fiscal year 2005 and is appropriated at $22 million in fiscal year 

2006. The President’s fiscal year 2007 budget requests $22 million for HVRP. 

Many of the specialized homeless veteran programs that Congress has authorized 

are scheduled to sunset in 2006 and merit extension. In addition, new issues affecting homeless veterans and a greater understanding of the gaps in supports for them 

have emerged that require a Congressional response. NCHV urges Congress to reauthorize, strengthen, and expand the specialized homeless programs and authorities 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor this year. 

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans is pleased to support the Sheltering 

All Veterans Everywhere Act (S. 1180). We are proud that the following organizations join us in supporting this measure: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United 

States, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Alliance on Mental Illness, 

National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, National Network for Youth, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Volunteers of America, Disabled American Veterans, National Coalition for the Homeless, 

and The American Legion. 

We extend our deep gratitude to Senator Barack Obama (D–IL) for catapulting 

homeless veteran issues onto the Senate agenda by introducing this comprehensive 

measure. We also extend our appreciation to the other U.S. Senators, including Senator Patty Murray (D–WA) on this Committee, who have already cosponsored the 

measure. We invite all members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to join 

as cosponsors to S. 1180. 

We urge Congress to enact the Sheltering All Veterans Act this year, either as 

a stand-alone measure or by incorporating its provisions in another measure. We 

offer the following comments on the provisions of S. 1180. 

Reauthorization of Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program (Section 

3)—The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program (38 U.S.C. 2011–

2013) provides competitive grants to community-based, faith-based, and public organizations to offer transitional housing or service centers forμhomeless veterans. The 

GPD program is set to expire September 30, 2006. The current authorization level 

for the program is $99 million. Collectively, nearly 100 GPD providers offer nearly 

10,000 transitional housing beds. More than 150 outreach and transportation vans 

are supported through the program. 

VA reports that 75 percent of veterans provided residential services through either a GPD grantee or a homeless Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program (DRRTP) were either independently housed or moved to another residential program at discharge. 58 percent of those discharged were employed or participating in Compensated Work Therapy. A VA-conducted follow-up assessment of 

the outcome of these same programs found that 80 percent of veteran residents were 

still housed 12 months after discharge. 

9

The GPD program is an essential component of the VA’s continuum of care for 

homeless veterans, assuring the availability of social services, employment supports, 

and direct treatment or referral to medical treatment to numerous veterans annually. Congress must continue the GPD program. In addition to supporting Section 

3 of S. 1180, we support an element of the Senate-passed Veterans Health Care Act 

of 2005 (S. 1182) that provides permanent authority to the Grant and Per Diem Program. 

The current authorization level for GPD is simply insufficient to enable VA to 

meet the demand for transitional housing assistance expressed by homeless veterans. Data gathered by VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) through the Community 

Homelessness Assessment, Local Education, and Networking Groups (CHALENGs) 

process consistently document that the numbers of homeless veterans in their service areas far exceed the number of GPD beds currently available for them. Without 

an increase in the authorization level, VA will not be able to add new beds. The 

$130 million authorization level VA is seeking, and which is included in S. 1182, 

will allow VA only to maintain the current number of authorized beds, but not add 

new beds. Furthermore, as the per diem rate to cover the daily cost of care rises 

annually, there could be an actual reduction in the number of beds, if the authorization level is not increased. Accordingly, Congress should raise the authorization 

level to $200 million. We note that even at this higher authorization level, funding 

for GPD programs would still represent less than one one-hundreth of a percent of 

VA’s total budget. 

GPD Per Diem Payments (Section 3)—Congress’s intent when it adopted 38 

U.S.C. 2012(a)(2) was to simplify the process for paying GPD grantees. Regrettably, 

VA is requiring GPD grantees to submit extensive documentation on all of their 

sources of project funding in order to secure per diem payments at the maximum 

rate permitted by statute (which is the rate authorized for State homes for domiciliary care), straining grantees and VA alike. This requirement basically hamstrings providers from using their other funds as leverage, and instead forces them 

to use them as subsidy. 

In addition, grantees report a burden in preparing the documentation VA requires 

to negotiate the rate. Despite grantee appeals for intercession and Congressional 

intervention on a situation-by-situation basis, VA policy remains unchanged. Accordingly, we urge Congress to amend the statute to require VA to pay GPD grantees 

per diem payments without adjustments. 

Reauthorization of Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (Section 4)—The 

Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) (38 U.S.C. 2021), within the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), provides 

competitive grants to community-based, faith-based, and public organizations to 

offer outreach, job placement and supportive services to homeless veterans. HVRP 

grants address two objectives: (a) to provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force, and (b) to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans. HVRP is set to expire September 30, 2006. 

The current authorization level for the program is $50 million. 

HVRP is the primary employment services program accessible by homeless veterans and the only targeted employment program for any homeless subpopulation. 

Homeless veterans have many additional barriers to employment than non-homeless 

veterans due to their lack of housing. HVRP grantees remove those barriers through 

specialized supports unavailable through other employment services programs. 

Grantees are able to place HVRP participants into employment for $2,100 per placement, a tiny investment for moving a veteran out of homelessness, and off of dependency on public programs. 

We urge Congress to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program 

for a 5-year period at the $50 million authorization level. We note that the Housepassed Veterans Housing and Employment Improvement Act of 2005 (H.R. 3665) accomplishes this recommendation. 

Furthermore, we challenge each member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee—especially those members also serving on the Appropriations Committee—

to communicate with their counterparts on the Appropriations Committee and insist 

that Congress honor the authorization level that the Veterans’ Affairs Committee 

has set for HVRP. 

HVRP Expansion to Veterans at Imminent Risk of Homelessness (Section 4)—

HVRP in its present form is limited to veterans currently experiencing homelessness 

(38 U.S.C. 2021(a)). This eligibility limitation prevents grantees from using HVRP 

funds for homelessness prevention. This eligibility restriction was appropriate when 

HVRP was first enacted in 1987. At the time, the hope was that homelessness could 

be resolved by an intensive infusion of resources to literally homeless people. In 

10

2005, restricting the program to veterans already homeless is out of step with the 

general thrust of both public policy and service delivery practice away from simply 

managing homelessness to also preventing it. Expansion of the eligible population 

for HVRP services to include veterans at imminent risk of homelessness would enable HVRP to have both preventative and remedial purposes. 

Also, HVRP is being used as the account to fund a joint Department of Labor and 

Department of Veterans Affairs initiative authorized by Congress to assist veterans 

incarcerated in their reentry to the community. Continued use of HVRP to fund this 

program is technically a violation of the statute in that veterans incarcerated are 

not homeless. This technical violation could be easily remedied by adding veterans 

at imminent risk of homelessness as an eligible population to the program. 

Expansion of VA Outreach Programs (Section 5)—Servicemembers separating 

from the Armed Forces receive opportunities to learn about benefits for which they 

may be eligible, both prior to separation (through preseparation counseling and the 

Transition Assistance Program) and post-discharge via Department of Veterans Affairs outreach. VA outreach provides an opportunity, as yet untapped, to alert recently separated servicemembers to the increased risk of homelessness they face and 

the preventative services available to them if they find themselves at imminent risk 

of losing their living arrangement. 

Current law (38 U.S.C. 7722) requires VA to conduct a range of outreach efforts 

to alert veterans to the programs and services available through the Department. 

Also, current law (38 U.S.C. 2022) requires VA to develop a coordinated plan by the 

Mental Health Service and the Readjustment Counseling Service for joint outreach 

to veterans at risk of homelessness and an outreach program to provide information 

to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness. Individuals leaving the 

military are at elevated risk of homelessness due to a lack of job skills transferable 

to the civilian sector, disrupted or dissolved family and social support networks, and 

other risk factors that preceded their military service. Separating servicemembers 

must be made aware of the factors that contribute to homelessness and receive information about sources of preventive assistance at each stage of their separation. 

A robust outreach program not only informs veterans of services available to them 

should they become homeless, but also to guide them on steps they may take to 

avert homelessness. Congress should require VA outreach plans and outreach efforts 

to add homelessness prevention matter as expected outreach content, including information on risk factors for homelessness, a self-assessment of risk factors, and 

contact information for preventative assistance associated with homelessness. 

Current law (38 U.S.C. 2022) requires VA, in its outreach program, to target veterans being discharged or released from institutions after inpatient care. Congress 

should add as an additional target population individuals separating from the 

armed forces. 

Reauthorization of Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program (Section 6)—Current law (38 U.S.C. 2031) authorizes VA to provide outreach services; care, treatment, and rehabilitative services; and therapeutic transitional housing assistance to 

veterans with serious mental illness, including veterans who are homeless. VA uses 

this authority to operate its Health Care for Homeless Veterans program. 134 existing HCHV teams across the country provide targeted outreach, medical treatment, 

and referral services to 67,000 homeless veterans annually. This authority expires 

December 31, 2006. Congress should continue this authority for at least a 5-year 

period. 

Reauthorization of Comprehensive Service Centers (Section 6)—Current law (38 

U.S.C. 2033) authorizes VA to provide comprehensive services centers to homeless 

veterans. VA’s Comprehensive Homeless Centers place the full range of VA homeless efforts in a single medical center’s catchment area and coordinate administration within a centralized framework. This authority expires December 31, 2006. 

Congress should continue this authority for at least a 5-year period. 

Transfer of Foreclosure Properties (Section 7)—Current law (38 U.S.C. 2041) authorizes VA to sell, lease, or donate foreclosed properties to homeless service providers for purposes of assisting homeless veterans and their families in acquiring 

shelter. The program has proven invaluable to Federal and community efforts to 

provide permanent housing for persons experiencing homelessness. Congress should 

make permanent the transfer authority. Further, Congress should require VA to dispose of at least 10 percent of transferred properties via donation. 

Reauthorization of Special Needs Grant Program (Section 8)—Current law (38 

U.S.C. 2061) authorizes VA to carry out a program to make grants available to 

health care facilities of the Department and to GPD providers to encourage development of programs for homeless veterans with special needs, including women (with 

and without children), frail elderly, terminally ill, or chronically mentally ill. This 

program is authorized through fiscal year 2005 at the $5 million level annually. The 

11

special needs program has enabled VA and GPD providers to devote attention to underserved subpopulation within the homeless veteran population. Congress should 

continue the program for a 5-year period. Further, Congress should maintain the 

current authorization level of $5 million. 

Expansion of Homeless Veteran Dental Care Benefit (Section 9)—Current law (38 

U.S.C. 2062) establishes a limited dental care benefit for certain homeless veterans. 

Under the provision, homeless veterans in certain VA homeless programs are eligible for a one-time course of dental treatment which is medically necessary for veterans to gain employment, to alleviate pain, or to treat disease. The requirement 

that a homeless veteran participate in a VA residential program for at least 60 days 

is an inappropriate—and unjust—impediment to veterans’ timely access to medically necessary services. Congress should eliminate the 60-day eligibility restriction. 

Reauthorization of Homeless Veteran Service Provider Technical Assistance Program (Section 10)—Current law (38 U.S.C. 2064) authorizes VA to make competitive 

grants to organizations with expertise in preparing grant applications to provide 

technical assistance to nonprofit community-based and faith-based groups with experience in providing assistance to homeless veterans in order to assist such groups 

in applying for homeless veteran grants and other grants addressing problems of 

homeless veterans. Community-based and faith-based organizations serving homeless veterans rely on a complex set of funding and service delivery streams with 

multiple agencies in order to assemble comprehensive housing and supportive services. These providers face a capacity gap around managing this complexity. NCHV 

is proud to have successfully competed for funding under this program. We believe 

we have been effective stewards of the TA funds and look forward to participating 

in future competitions. Congress should continue the program for a 5-year period. 

Further, Congress should raise the authorization level from $750,000 to $1 million. 

We are pleased that S. 1182 addresses this recommendation. 

Annual Report on Assistance to Homeless Veterans (Section 11)—Current law (38 

U.S.C. 2065) requires VA to submit to Congress an annual report on assistance to 

homeless veterans. Congress should require VA to include in the general contents 

of the report information on their efforts to coordinate the delivery of housing and 

services to homeless veterans with other Federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of 

Labor, Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the Social Security Administration. 

Reauthorization of Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans (Section 12)—Current law (38 U.S.C. 2066) establishes an Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans 

to provide a formal mechanism for the Secretary to gather advice from the homeless 

veteran service provider field and others with expertise on homeless veteran matters. The Committee is set to expire December 31, 2006. The Committee has proved 

invaluable in impacting the VA’s delivery of medical care and supportive services 

to homeless veterans. Congress should extend the Advisory Committee on Homeless 

Veterans for a 5-year period. 

Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans Composition (Section 12)—The U.S. 

Interagency Council on Homelessness plays a leadership role in coordinating the 

Federal Government’s response to homelessness. Congress should add the ICH Executive Director as an ex-officio representative on the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. 

Study on Military Sexual Trauma and Homelessness (Section 13)—The VA Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans recommended in 2004 that a 

study be conducted on the possible correlation between military sexual trauma and 

homelessness among veterans and effective service models for assembling various 

treatment modalities and environments. The study should also include an evaluation of the ‘‘Seeking Safety’’ intervention, a treatment regime being made available 

to homeless women veterans in eleven locations. Preliminary data from Seeking 

Safety participants indicates that over 80 percent reported a history of life-threatening trauma, over 60 percent had been raped (with over 40 percent of rapes occurring while serving in the military). 

In addition to the above provisions of the Sheltering All Veterans Everywhere Act 

(S. 1180), we also urge Congress to enact the following recommendations: 

VA Homeless Programs Specific Purpose Account—Presently Congress plays a 

limited role in determining funding levels for medical programs within VA, including the Department’s specialized homeless programs. Funding for veterans medical 

care is appropriated in aggregate to three accounts (medical services, medical administration, medical facilities), from which the VA Secretary allocates the appropriated funds across VA health care networks and through the Department’s specific 

purpose programs. 

12

Congress has routinely provided increased funding to VA for medical care. Regrettably, these increases have not been distributed equitably among VA specific purpose programs. Specialized homeless programs are among those that do not always 

receive their ‘‘fair share’’ of annual appropriations, or allocations at their full authorized levels. The establishment of a specialized homeless program specific purpose account within the VA medical services account would serve to ensure that specialized homeless programs receive any increase in VA appropriations in proportion 

to their costs within the overall VA medical care budget. 

We urge Congress to establish a specialized homeless program specific purpose account within the VA medical services appropriation and ensure that of such sums 

appropriated annually for VA medical services, the greater of a fixed sum of 

$345,672,000 or 1.26 percent of the total medical services appropriation be reserved 

for specialized homeless programs. 

VA should use funds within the homeless specific purpose account to operate: the 

program of the Department known as Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation and 

Treatment Program for Homeless Veterans, comprehensive service programs (GPD) 

(Section 2011, Section 2012), outreach program (Section 2022), Health Care for 

Homeless Veterans (Section 2031); therapeutic transitional housing assistance (Section 2032), comprehensive services centers (Section 2033), CHALENG (Section 

2034); administration of the loan guarantee for multifamily transitional housing 

program (Section 2051), grant program for homeless veterans with special needs 

(Section 2061), technical assistance grants for nonprofit community based groups 

(Section 2064), annual report (Section 2065), advisory committee on homeless veterans (Section 2066), the program of the Department known as Stand Downs, evaluation centers for homeless veterans programs, and any additional specialized 

homeless programs designated by the Secretary. 

Authorization of Benefit Assistance for Homeless Veterans—Veterans who are disabled by injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service are 

eligible for VA Disability Compensation, a monthly payment. Veterans are eligible 

for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits 

under the same conditions as any other person. Veterans are often eligible for both 

benefits. But because the programs themselves and their claims processes are distinct, a veteran must work their way through each one separately. Each process is 

grueling in and of itself. Navigation through both processes simultaneously merely 

compounds the complexity. In addition, scant attention is paid to assisting veterans 

in accessing mainstream health and income benefit programs for which they may 

be eligible including Medicaid, Food Stamps, and TANF. For homeless veterans—

all of whom have higher priority needs such as securing a place to live, and some 

of whom either distrust or wish to avoid dependency on governmental programs—

the various application processes may be insurmountable, without help. We urge 

Congress to authorize VA to carry out a program to make grants available to homeless veteran service providers for public benefit and veteran benefit outreach, application assistance, and reconsiderations and appeals support. Congress should authorize the program for a 5-year period at the $10 million level annually. 

Part III.—VA Surplus Property 

NCHV works to ensure that organizations, agencies, and groups desiring to assist 

veterans with the most fundamental human needs secure the public and private resources, including capital assets, necessary to provide opportunities and supports to 

them. With an estimated 400,000 veterans homeless at some time during a year and 

the VA reaching only 25 percent of those in need, 300,000 veterans remain without 

services from the department responsible for supporting them. In the meantime, numerous VA properties sit vacant or underutilized. We urge Congress to take the following action steps to further facilitate the transfer of VA surplus property to homeless service providers: 

VA Preference for Title V Surplus Property Program—The McKinney-Vento Title 

V Surplus Property Program requires Federal departments and agencies, including 

VA, to make surplus properties available to nonprofit and public organizations serving homeless persons, including homeless veterans, at no cost. Under current law 

(38 U.S.C. 8122(d)), VA has been able to avoid declaring property excess, and thus 

avoid listing it through the Title V process, by determining that the property is suitable for services to homeless veterans under an enhanced use lease. Enhanced use 

lease is less favorable to homeless service providers than Title V because under 

EUL, providers are expected to pay for the property, while under Title V the transfer is without charge. Congress should require VA to select Title V as its first method for transferring real property to homeless service providers. 

VA Space Agreements with Homeless Veteran Service Providers—VA enters into 

space agreements with nonprofit organizations to utilize VA capital assets for servVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
13

ices to homeless veterans. The rates the Department negotiates with nonprofit organizations fluctuate greatly, and are sometimes above fair market rental rates or at 

rates that are cost-prohibitive to nonprofit organizations. Congress should require 

VA to ensure that space agreements with homeless service providers are set without 

charge or at least at a rate not to exceed the direct costs associated with making 

it available. 

Homeless Considerations in VA Capital Asset Planning—We are pleased that the 

Capital Asset Realignment of Enhanced Serves (CARES) Commission, in its final report, recommended to the VA Secretary that ‘‘any study involving excess or surplus 

property should consider all options for divestiture, including outright sale, transfer 

to another public entity, and a reformed EUL process. VA should also consider using 

vacant space to provide supportive services to homeless veterans’’ (p. 3–33). 

We urge the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to join us in requesting VA to be vigorous in ensuring that vacant or underutilized VA properties are first made available to organizations serving those in greatest need rather than continuing to gather dust or being converted to commercial purposes by including report language to 

accompany any appropriate bill urging the Secretary to take the following actions 

with regard to management of VA capital assets: • Issue a Department-wide directive that articulates that surplus, excess, unutilized or underutilized VA properties shall first be made available on a no-cost or 

lowest-cost basis to nonprofit or public organizations responding to the human needs 

of veterans (and low-income persons in general secondarily), with a preference for 

organizations experienced in serving homeless veterans; 

• Establish as a Departmental goal the establishment of at least 50,000 additional supportive housing units for homeless veterans on VA property and instruct 

VISNs to develop concrete action plans for reaching this goal; 

• Instruct VISNs to identify and advertise properties currently or potentially suitable and available for disposition under the McKinney-Vento Title V program; 

• Instruct VISNs to use the Title V criteria for determining suitability for homeless uses when conducting these property assessments; and 

• Take action to ensure the Department’s full compliance with the Title V program; prepare an analysis of VA property acquisition and disposition statutes, regulations, and policy guidance and their intersection with the Title V program; and 

recommend or adopt any changes needed in order for the VA to fully participate in 

the Title V program. 

Part IV.—Servicemember Transition 

Transition planning (or discharge planning) is understood within the homeless 

service and advocacy sector to be an important tool in homelessness prevention. 

Transition planning is the process used to prepare a person for return or reentry 

to the community from a custodial institution, setting, or situation, such as a hospital, inpatient treatment facility, or prison. The concept and practice of transition 

planning is germane to the military, as it is a de facto custodial institution, providing employment, housing, food, and health care to its servicemembers within. 

Thus, when seeking to prevent homelessness among veterans, one cannot overlook 

the period and process through which servicemembers transition from the military 

back to civilian life as a critical moment both for averting homelessness among the 

few servicemembers that enter homelessness immediately or soon after separation 

from the military and for putting servicemembers at risk of future homelessness on 

a sure path to economic and social well-being rather than a slippery slope into joblessness, family dissolution, and unmitigated poverty. 

Congress has already put in place the mechanisms to accomplish transition planning for persons exiting the military. Current law (10 U.S.C. 1142) requires the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to provide individual preseparation 

counseling to each member of the armed forces whose discharge or release from active duty is anticipated. Matters covered during the counseling include: a discussion 

of educational assistance, compensation, and rehabilitation benefits to which 

servicemembers are entitled; information concerning job search and job placement 

assistance; information concerning relocation assistance; information concerning 

medical and dental coverage; financial planning assistance; housing counseling assistance; and the creation of a transition plan for the servicemember. Preseparation 

counseling takes many forms, but tends to be brief group presentations to 

servicemembers immediately prior to their separation. 

Generally in the case of an anticipated retirement, preseparation counseling shall 

commence as soon as possible during the 24-month period preceding the anticipated 

retirement date. In the case of a separation other than retirement, counseling shall 

commence as soon as possible during the 12-month period preceding the anticipated 

date. Counseling shall be made available no later than 90 days prior to separation. 

14

Servicemembers being discharged or released before the completion of that member’s first 180 days of active duty are not eligible for preseparation counseling, unless the separation is due to disability. 

Current law (10 U.S.C. 1144) authorizes the Department of Labor to furnish counseling, assistance in identifying employment and training opportunities, help in obtaining such employment and training, and other related information and services 

to members of the armed forces who are being separated from active duty. Elements 

of this program, known as the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), include information concerning employment and training assistance; information concerning Federal, state, and local programs and programs of military and veterans’ service organizations; information about small business loan programs for veterans; information 

about the geographic locations to which members are returning; and other matters. 

Participation in the program is encouraged, not required. TAP is a two-and-a-halfday group-level workshop. 

Former servicemembers report that the preseparation counseling and transition 

assistance programs are lacking in a number of areas. Among their concerns: the 

depth and content of preseparation counseling is quite variable across delivery sites. 

Preseparation counseling may be limited to brief group-level presentations rather 

than individualized transition planning (as is contemplated in the statute). 

Servicemember participation in the Transition Assistance Program is at the will of 

the unit commander, and often allowed only during off-duty time. 

Weaknesses in the both the content and delivery of servicemember separation programs result in some servicemembers failing to receive information necessary to ensure their stable health care, steady employment, and secure housing upon their return to civilian life. This places servicemembers at increased risk of homelessness. 

Several legislative measures have been introduced to strengthen the transition assistance experience. We support Senator Russell Feingold’s (D–WI) Veterans’ Enhanced Transition Services Act (S. 1341); Rep. Robert Andrews’s (D–NJ) 

Servicemembers’ Enhanced Transition Services Act (H.R. 2074); and Rep. Martin 

Meehan’s (D–MA) HEROES Act (H.R. 2411) and are pressing the Armed Services 

Committees to include provisions from these bills in their annual defense authorization measures. Our priorities within these measures are (1) establishment of a policy of universal servicemember attendance in the Department of Labor’s Transition 

Assistance Program and (2) strengthened DOD preseparation counseling to ensure 

equity in its delivery to servicemembers regardless of component, branch, rank, duty 

station, and other factors. 

We urge the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to communicate support for legislative provisions regarding universal servicemember attendance in DOL TAP and 

strengthened DOD preseparation counseling to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Further, we encourage all members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to co-sponsor S. 1341 and ensure its enactment this session, whether that 

is through the NDAA, another omnibus vehicle, or as a stand-alone measure. 

Part V.—Permanent Housing for Low-Income Veterans 

The ultimate strategy to prevent veteran homelessness is to ensure permanent 

housing opportunities for those veterans at greatest risk of losing their housing in 

the first place—those with low-incomes. On this matter, the Federal Government 

falls far short. 

While the Federal Government makes a sizable investment in homeownership opportunities for veterans, there is no parallel national rental housing assistance program targeted to low-income veterans. Veterans of working age and without disabilities are not well-served through existing housing assistance programs due to their 

program designs. Low-income veterans in and of themselves are not a priority population for subsidized housing assistance. HUD devotes minimal attention to the 

housing needs of low-income veterans, as exemplified by the long-standing vacancy 

in the position of special assistant for veterans programs within the Office of Community Planning and Development. Furthermore, HUD has discontinued its participation in the HUD–VASH program, the only housing assistance program that was 

targeted to any veteran population. (HUD–VASH set aside a share of rental assistance vouchers for veterans with disabilities, matched with supportive services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs). VA has attempted in past years to 

reduce its support for veterans with long-term residential care needs via State Veterans’ homes and other nursing homes and shift support for those currently served 

via nursing care to care in home- and community-based settings. But, low-income 

veterans requiring supervised living arrangements will then need homes and community-based settings in which to live and receive VA support. We need not wonder 

why there is a homelessness crisis among our nation’s poorest veterans. 

15

It is imperative that Congress take immediate action to respond to the permanent 

housing assistance needs of our nation’s low-income veterans, including veterans experiencing homelessness. Among the routes to doing so: 

Services to Prevent Veterans’ Homelessness Act—NCHV is pleased to support the 

Services to Prevent Veterans’ Homelessness Act (S. 1991). We are proud that the 

following organizations join us in supporting this measure: National Alliance on 

Mental Illness, National Mental Health Association, National Health Care for the 

Homeless Council, Volunteers of America, and National Coalition for the Homeless. 

We extend our appreciation to Senator Richard Burr (R–NC) for leading this important measure, and to the other U.S. Senators, including Senator John Thune (R–

SD), who have already co-sponsored it. We urge all members of the Senate Veterans’ 

Affairs Committee to join as co-sponsors to S. 1991. 

The Services to Prevent Veterans’ Homelessness Act authorizes the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs to provide financial assistance to nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to provide and coordinate the provision of supportive services for 

very low-income veterans occupying permanent housing. The financial assistance 

shall consist of payments for each household provided supportive services. Supportive services that may be offered include physical and mental health; case management; daily living; personal financial planning; transportation; vocational counseling; employment and training; education; assistance in obtaining veterans benefits and public benefits; child care; and housing counseling. The bill would reserve 

$25 million of the funds appropriated annually for veterans’ medical care for this 

supportive services program. 

The Services to Prevent Veterans’ Homelessness Act is an important legislative 

measure from the standpoints of preventing and resolving homelessness among veterans. As a preventive measure, the Act would ensure the availability of supportive 

services to very low-income veterans in home-based settings, which enables them to 

sustain their housing arrangement. As a responsive measure, the Act would ensure 

the attachment of supportive services to permanent housing, a practice found to be 

effective in helping people experiencing homelessness transition from residential instability to housing security. The legislation would establish a mechanism for VA 

to form supportive services partnerships with community- and faith-based organizations. And the program established by this Act will serve as a companion to an affordable housing production program targeted to very low-income veterans for which 

NCHV is seeking authorization and appropriations. 

We urge Congress to enact the Services to Prevent Veterans’ Homelessness Act, 

either as a stand-alone measure or by incorporating its provisions in another measure. 

Veterans’ Housing Equity Act—The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans has 

developed comprehensive legislation to develop and expand permanent housing opportunities for very low-income veterans. The legislation, the ‘‘Veterans’ Housing 

Equity Act,’’ would establish new programs and activities pertaining to veterans 

within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). We are 

proud that the legislation enjoys the support of the Independent Budget Veterans 

Service Organizations and IBVSO supporters. NCHV is presently seeking a prime 

sponsor for the Veterans’ Housing Equity Act in both the Senate and the House of 

Representatives. 

The Veterans’ Housing Equity Act consists of seven substantive sections. Section 

2 authorizes the HUD Secretary to establish a supportive housing program for very 

low-income veteran families. HUD would provide housing assistance to such veteran 

families via planning grants, capital advances, project rental assistance, and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives proposing to 

develop such housing. VA would provide funding for supportive services to residents. 

Section 3 authorizes an increase in budget authority under the project rental assistance component of the Housing Choice Voucher program to finance 20,000 rental 

assistance vouchers for homeless veterans. The vouchers would be administered by 

grantees under the VA Homeless Provider Grant and Per Diem Program. Section 

4 requires states and localities to include veterans as a special needs population in 

their public housing agency plans and their comprehensive housing affordability 

strategies. Section 5 exempts from calculation of a family’s rental payment for federally assisted housing the amount of income the family receives from VA compensation and benefits. Section 6 authorizes the HUD Secretary to establish a technical 

assistance program to assist veteran service providers on federally assisted housing 

matters. Section 7 requires HUD to issue an annual report on its programs and activities pertaining to veterans. Section 8 establishes a position of Special Assistant 

for Veterans Affairs within HUD. 

We urge Congress to introduce and enact the Veterans’ Housing Equity Act. 

16

GAO Study of Low-Income Veterans’ Permanent Housing Needs—Congress has 

taken initial steps to develop an evidence base for the need for permanent housing 

assistance targeted to low-income veterans by including language within the report 

to accompany the fiscal year 2006 military construction and veterans’ affairs appropriations measure that requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on housing assistance to low-income veterans. A report is due in spring 

2006, but we do not believe GAO has even begun to start the study. We urge the 

Committee to ensure the GAO’s timely completion of this required study. 

Permanent Housing Assistance as an Eligible Use of GPD Funds—Use of Homeless Provider GPD grant funds is currently limited to expansion, remodeling, or acquisition of facilities for use as service centers, transitional housing, or other facilities to serve homeless veterans and to procurement of vans for use in outreach to 

and transportation for homeless veterans. 

We are aware that consideration is being given to adding permanent housing as 

an eligible use of GPD funds. We are of mixed view on this point. On the one hand, 

we know that many homeless veteran service providers struggle to secure placement 

of some program participants in permanent units following their completion of transitional programs, due the shortage affordable low-income housing units generally 

and the veteran’s ineligibility for or low priority for some of the assisted housing 

units that are available. On the other hand, we recognize transitional housing as 

an important and valid mechanism for providing supportive environments to homeless persons, including homeless veterans, while they navigate to successful independence. We are also aware that many GPD providers’ program designs, facilities, 

and funding streams do not lend themselves readily to conversion to permanent 

units. 

Accordingly, NCHV could support the addition of permanent housing assistance 

as an eligible use of GPD funds, but only on the conditions that: (1) the authorization level for GPD be raised to at least $200 million, to assure that no current provider is displaced by a new start provider proposing a permanent project; (2) there 

be an assurance in statute that the VA Secretary shall allocate annual appropriations to GPD at the full $200 million authorization level, again to assure non-displacement of transitional programs; (3) there be an assurance in statute that current and future per diem providers that wish to offer transitional housing services 

or service centers shall be permitted to do so without limitation; and (4) that there 

be a statutory prohibition on the VA granting preference or priority to continuation 

grantees or new start grantees proposing permanent housing projects. NCHV would 

vigorously oppose the conversion of GPD to a permanent housing-only program. 

CONCLUSION

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans appreciates the opportunity to submit recommendations to Congress regarding the resources and activities of the Federal Government and community-based and faith-based organizations as they pertain to homeless veterans. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress, 

the Administration, and our membership to ensure that our nation does everything 

within its grasp to prevent and end homelessness among our nation’s veterans. They 

have served our nation well. It is beyond time for us to repay the debt. 

Federal Funding 

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans has received the following Federal 

grants: 

Fiscal year 2004: 

Department of Veterans Affairs Grant to provide technical assistance to community based organizations with experience in assisting homeless veterans, $517,422. 

Department of Labor Grant to provide technical assistance to community based 

organizations with experience in assisting homeless veterans, $86,313.

Fiscal year 2005–2006:

Department of Veterans Affairs Grant to provide technical assistance to community based organizations with experience in assisting homeless veterans, 2 year total 

award is $1,112,500.

Chairman CRAIG. Now let me also recognize Senator Obama, who 

has just joined us. Senator, we are abbreviating everything this 

morning to get our panelists in and the testimony on the record because of the stacked vote, so we would ask that if you have an 

opening statement, you would submit it for the record. 

17

STATEMENT OF SENATOR OBAMA,

U.S. SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS 

Senator OBAMA. Mr. Chairman, I will be happy to submit my 

statement for the record. I want to thank you and Ranking Member Akaka for holding this important hearing. I want to especially 

thank Mr. Belcher who has come all the way from Woodstock, Illinois, to tell us about the great work of Transitional Living Services. 

I look forward to hearing his testimony. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Obama follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. BARRACK OBAMA, U.S. SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS

Thank you, Chairman Craig and Ranking Member Akaka. I want to welcome all 

of our witnesses, especially Mr. Belcher, who’s come all the way from Woodstock, 

Illinois to tell us about the great work of Transitional Living Services. 

The homeless veteran problem in this country is an overwhelming one. More than 

400,000 veterans will experience homelessness in a year. In my hometown of Chicago, as many as 38,000 veterans will spend a night homeless this year. That’s 

38,000 American heroes without roofs over their heads in one American city. 

It is one of the great tragedies of this nation that such a staggering number of 

our veterans who risked their lives for us have no place to turn to and no place 

to call home. 

As Chairman Craig noted, there are a number of Federal programs to combat this 

problem. I agree with him that we need to examine these programs and seek ways 

to improve them. We also need to make sure they are adequately funded. 

Last year, I introduced the Sheltering All Veterans Everywhere Act—the SAVE 

Act—to strengthen services for homeless veterans. The SAVE Act reauthorizes and 

expands the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program (GPD) and the 

Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). 

The SAVE Act would reauthorize the GPD program through 2011, and raise the 

authorization level to $200 million per year. Last year, the Senate passed Senator 

Craig’s bill, S. 1182, which reauthorized GPD at $130 million per year. That is an 

encouraging step in the right direction. 

For nearly 20 years, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program has helped 

get veterans off the streets with intensive services that are unavailable elsewhere 

and get to the heart of the causes of homelessness. HVRP grant recipients provide 

clothing and food, mental health and substance abuse counseling, employment services, and housing assistance. 

The SAVE Act expands the reach of the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program to include veterans at risk of homelessness, so that we can work to prevent 

homelessness before it happens. 

This year, the President’s budget flatlines spending for HVRP at $22 million. At 

this amount, we will only be able to serve 16,250 veterans next year. I have offered 

an amendment to the budget resolution to increase HVRP spending to its full authorized amount, an increase of $28 million. This would help us reach approximately 36,820 homeless veterans, an important step in the right direction. My 

amendment would also provide an additional $12 million to the Department of 

Labor to improve jobs services for hard-to-place veterans. 

Every day, we walk past men and women on street corners with handwritten 

signs like ‘‘Homeless Veteran—Need Food.’’ Sometimes we give a dollar, sometimes 

we just keep walking. These are soldiers who fought in World War II, Vietnam, and 

Iraq. 

We cannot allow the proud shoulders that have carried the weight of liberty to 

be broken by the terrible burden of homelessness and hopelessness. 

I thank Senator Craig and Senator Akaka for holding this hearing and for examining these issues. I hope my colleagues will join me in making sure these programs 

are improved and given the resources to meet their difficult task.

Chairman CRAIG. Fine enough. With that introduction, Alan 

Belcher of Transitional Living Services, Woodstock, Illinois. Alan, 

welcome to the Committee. 

18

STATEMENT OF ALAN BELCHER, PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TRANSITIONAL LIVING SERVICES, WOODSTOCK, 

ILLINOIS 

Mr. BELCHER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Alan 

Belcher and I am the President of the Board of Transitional Living 

Services, which is a small rural homeless veterans’ program in 

Northwestern Illinois. I also work for the Veterans’ Administration 

as a readjustment counselor and have done that under contract for 

the last 25 years, so I have a pretty fundamental understanding of 

homelessness and some of the issues that are facing our homeless 

in this country. 

We started our program in 1996 as a group of interested and 

dedicated Vietnam vets who formed a program, which is very, very 

much, as Mike was talking about, a grassroots program. It is located in a rural area and we only serve 14, but we are very proud 

of the 14 veterans whom we are serving. We are located about 8 

miles from what would be called the sprawl of Chicago that is coming out the suburban sprawl in, like I said, a rural community. 

The population that we serve—the chronically homeless men and 

women—have serious, as you know, health issues. The health problems are generally the result of years of neglect and substance 

abuse and environmental stressors. Our numerous health care 

problems of our veterans require us to take frequent trips to VA 

hospitals, as you can imagine. 

One of our problems is that we are not allowed access to our local 

outpatient veterans’ clinic, so as a result, we have to travel up to 

11⁄2 to 2 hours to access primary care for our veterans. So we are 

dedicating a staff person, a vehicle, and the time required for us 

to get primary care for our veterans. 

Basically, what I am asking you here today is I don’t know if this 

is an issue for other homeless programs, but it is clearly an issue 

for us. We need dedicated slots at the McHenry CBOC. And just 

to put a positive word in for that CBOC is that they are a marvelous group. We worked very hard to get that in our community. 

They have done an excellent job of providing primary care, but we 

need access to it. 

Employment is an issue for our veterans, and just to dovetail 

this with not having access to the CBOC, you can imagine if one 

of our veterans has to travel for 5 hours to get a primary care appointment. There is no employer on earth that is going to allow 

that veteran to be employed for them, because we have to have 

that amount of time dedicated to it. Anyway, employment is a significant issue for us. We do not have the HVRP program, but we 

are going to make application for it in the next round. We are 

again located in a rural community where there are no jobs in that 

community, so transportation is an issue for us. 

On any given day, we have a waiting list of 12 veterans. Now, 

considering that we only serve 14, 12 is a significant number for 

us. We are in the process of expanding the program from 14 to 20 

beds, but I don’t anticipate that is going to help our waiting list 

because Chicago is combining a couple of programs and as a result 

of that, there are going to be fewer beds available in our area. 

From the inception of the TLS program, we have understood the 

importance of placing veterans in permanent housing. We had no 

19

funding for permanent housing. We thought that we were going to 

get some funding through HUD, and I can’t even begin to tell you 

how it happened, but the money that we—the grant that we put 

in for—the money we received ended up going for transitional 

housing rather than permanent housing. I would encourage the VA 

to run a permanent housing program. My experience with the VA 

is that it is run well, the programs that they have are run well and 

they are much easier to work with and much more supportive than 

other sources of funds. 

Finally, I wanted to mention the soldiers returning from Iraq 

and Afghanistan. While we have yet to admit a veteran in our program from Iraq, I personally am serving, in my readjustment counseling program, four Iraqi conflict veterans. Two of these veterans 

are women, two of them are men. All four have mental health 

issues. Two of them have substance abuse issues. One is in a 

wheelchair. 

I am not sure that we are as yet prepared to deal with the influx 

of Iraqi veterans, and I say that because I know I have been surprised by the number of veterans that I am serving right now. I 

anticipated it to be 5 or 6 years down the road. To a person, each 

one of these Iraqi veterans is saying to me, ‘‘I have friends out 

there and they are drinking and they are drugging and/or they 

have problems. I am trying to get them in to see you, but they 

won’t come in yet. They won’t come in yet.’’ So the problem will 

break at some point and we will have a major influx of Iraqi veterans. 

Thank you. 

Chairman CRAIG. Alan, thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Belcher follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ALAN BELCHER, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TRANSITIONAL LIVING SERVICES

Honorable Chairman Craig, Honorable Senators, and Distinguished Guests, I 

would like to express my gratitude in being invited to speak today on behalf of the 

homeless veterans of Illinois. I am Alan Belcher, President of the Board of Directors 

of Transitional Living Services, a homeless veteran service provider based in Woodstock Illinois. 

Transitional Living Services (TLS) is in every sense of the phrase a ‘‘grassroots 

organization.’’ In 1996, a small group of Vietnam veterans met to discuss how to 

solve the problem of veteran homelessness in our own community. Once we started 

looking, we found homeless veterans throughout the area. A call to the VA determined that there were no veteran transitional housing programs in Illinois. The six 

of us—all Vietnam veterans—committed our time and energies to helping the homeless men and women who once sacrificed to serve our country to find the shelter, 

food, and health care necessary to survive and thrive. 

As we soon found out, it’s not enough to have an identified need and it’s not 

enough to have a big heart. We have had to struggle and fight for every advancement in our program. Neither an inadequate program nor failure has been acceptable options for us. Therefore, it took us 5 years from the inception of our program 

to the actual securing of a facility and the opening of its doors to serve veterans. 

We approached local banks for loans and approached city councils for site approval. 

It took an additional 3 years of persistence before finally we were able to secure VA 

Homeless Provider Grant and Per Diem funding. During those 3 years, we kept the 

doors open by securing funding from anyone who would listen. We begged at veterans organizations throughout the area. We called our local, state, and Federal officials telling them of our situation and our mission. We accepted donations of food 

and other supplies from individuals and local businesses. 

I believe that a portion of our dedication is the result of coming home from Vietnam to, at best, inadequate and poor care. We were committed then, and are committed now, to seeing that what happened to the returning Vietnam era veteran will 

20

not happen to others. It is our determination to hold fast to the mission that all 

fellow veterans will receive the care that they so courageously earned, and that they 

deserve to their final day. 

TLS is a small rural program presently serving 14 veterans at any one time, and 

soon to be expanded to serving 21 veterans. We are located approximately eight 

miles from the suburban sprawl of Chicago, in a small town of less than 600 people. 

Our priority is to serve the veterans from McHenry County and surrounding counties. We also serve veterans from all over the Chicago area. 

The chronically homeless men and women we serve often have serious health 

issues. Their health concerns are varied and many. Generally though, their health 

problems are the result of abuse of their bodies and lack of health care. Many abuse 

alcohol and drugs and often go without food for long periods of time or have diets 

high in sugar, cholesterol and fat. Furthermore, the environment they live in often 

exacerbates health care problems. All too often, our veterans have been battered in 

attempts to steal their food or money. Furthermore, sleeping outside produces its 

own damage to the body. 

One such veteran came to us experiencing pain in his left leg and having difficulty 

walking. A cursory examination by our caseworker revealed discoloration in his 

lower leg. Our inability to access our local VA outpatient clinic necessitated that we 

access a local physician who was gracious enough to see our veteran for free. Quickly, the physician determined that this veteran had gangrene which was due to untreated diabetes and a minor injury. This diagnosis assisted us in obtaining admission to North Chicago VA Medical Center and eventuated in saving the veteran’s 

life by the amputation of his leg. 

This tragic situation was unnecessarily complicated by our having no access to our 

local VA outpatient clinic, which is only 15 minutes from our facility. On several 

occasions, I have contacted North Chicago VAMC to encourage them to provide us 

with access to the local veterans outpatient clinic, but each overture has been ‘‘graciously rebuffed’’ by my being told ‘‘there is no room in the inn.’’ All of our veterans’ 

primary care, as well as specialty care, is provided in either North Chicago VAMC 

or Heinz VAMC. We transport veterans 1⁄2 to 2 hours for treatment for even minor 

health care issues. This causes us significant expense in gas, oil, and vehicle repairs 

as well as untold staff hours. The irony is that our veterans were used as part of 

the justification for placing the veterans outpatient clinic in our community. 

The limited resources of TLS are being squandered on transportation when it is 

not necessary. Furthermore, the veteran is unable to hold a job because he/she is 

required to spend 4 or 5 hours to visit physicians when medical care is needed. Employers find it unreasonable for employees to spend that amount of time off the job 

for treatment of minor health issues. The provision of quality care and the success 

of our mission are in part contingent on our veterans having access to our local veterans outpatient clinic. We need slots designated specifically for the veterans being 

served by TLS. 

An additional barrier to securing effective health care to these already neglected 

veterans is the difficulty in accessing dental care. Few dentists are available and 

appointments may take as long as 6 months to obtain. No restorative dental care 

is available. Homeless veterans come to us with severely neglected teeth and gums 

resulting in pain and tooth loss. Dental infection further impacts already precarious 

health. Plus, the absence of teeth, especially front teeth, can cause the veteran to 

feel self conscious and make finding a job especially difficult. I urge Congress and 

the VA to assist us in accessing dental care, especially restorative dental care. 

Let me make a point for clarification here. Our transitional housing facility is located in what I have already described as a rural community. This site was partly 

made by choice and partly forced upon us. Certainly we needed to address the need 

and the fact that there are homeless veterans in the rural areas of this country. 

We needed to meet the needs of these men and women right where we found them, 

which does not always mean in the big city environment. Also, I need to point out 

that while we sought to locate our facility in various more slightly populated areas 

for the sole purpose of improving access to jobs and services for our residents, we 

were turned down by community after community who chose to deny the location 

of such a homeless shelter within their boundaries. Only by securing and rehabbing 

an old hotel outside of any existing municipality were we able to go forth at all. 

Rural programs present unique challenges to effective service provision. During 

a prior call involving my testimony this morning, someone suggested that I have my 

development team gather some data. Not only do we not have a development team, 

we have no development person. Each of our staff is responsible for an assortment 

of tasks and those responsibilities are fluid, that is they often change from day to 

day, situation to situation. To the degree that it is possible, we provide services onVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
21

site because offsite services require the commitment of a vehicle and the cost of fuel 

and a staff member to drive. 

Employment is also a challenge made more difficult by the rural area in which 

we are located. Very few jobs are available in our community, and when they become open, they most often are given to people from within the community. Accordingly, employment always involves travel, sometimes many miles. Few of our residents have driver licenses so we have to transport the residents to and from employment sites. Occasionally a resident may be available to transport other residents, 

but this is the exception. Similarly, those residents attending school often require 

transportation. 

In spite of these difficulties, we have managed to help our veterans find employment. Here are two success stories from just last month. Two of our residents moved 

into permanent housing. One of these two has recently reunited with his family and 

is living with them. He has been able to secure his driver license and is presently 

attending college classes. The second veteran is working full time for the first time 

in twenty years. Furthermore, he has been sober for over 2 years now. He is living 

in his own apartment and doing well. Our other current residents continue to 

progress with counseling, substance abuse follow-up programs, job training, education and employment while developing skills necessary for independent living. 

On any given day, TLS will have a minimum of twelve veterans on our waiting 

list. Our contract with the VA requires that we actively search known locations 

where the homeless frequent in an effort to inform homeless veterans of our program and the services available to them. The intent is to make our program accessible to those hard-to-reach veterans, sometimes found under bridges and in barns. 

While this is a noble thought, it has proven to be impractical at best. Due to the 

long waiting list, it would be 6 months before we would be able to admit one of 

these veterans located in this way. Yes, we could and we do make referrals to existing programs and services such as PADS (a metro Chicago emergency shelter program), but we are unable to admit anyone we find on the street directly into our 

program. 

For TLS to achieve the VA goal of providing housing for those veterans who ‘‘regularly sleep in places not designated for human beings,’’ it would be necessary for 

us to have an emergency housing component to our program, and this additional 

component would allow us to provide food and shelter for veterans while they wait 

to be admitted to our transitional housing. Furthermore, we would be provided a 

better opportunity to assess their ability and readiness for transitional housing and 

make appropriate referrals to facilitate that readiness. 

TLS is presently expanding our program from 14 to 21 beds. While this will serve 

more veterans, it will not reduce our waiting list. In fact, we believe that our waiting list will continue to grow in spite of the additional beds. North Chicago VAMC 

is combining two programs, thus reducing their beds available for homeless and potentially homeless veterans by 30 beds. PADS and the domiciliary programs at 

North Chicago VAMC will close for the summer in April, significantly adding to the 

number of homeless. Furthermore, as more and more homeless veterans are hearing 

about our success from our graduates, more and more veterans are applying for admission. Our capacity should be increased to at least 30 beds if we are to begin to 

meet the present needs of homeless veterans in our area alone. 

From the inception of our program, we have understood the importance of placing 

our veterans in permanent housing and providing supportive services. The obstacles 

to successful transition are many and daunting for the veteran. Most of them have 

many years of living on the street and being in and out of temporary housing programs. In spite of successfully completing our transitional program, they remain at 

risk of returning to homelessness during their first year in permanent housing. Successful transition to permanent housing depends in part on the veteran maintaining 

a relationship with TLS. We encourage the veteran to continue to participate in the 

programs and groups he was participating in when he graduated. We encourage his 

continuation with outpatient substance abuse and mental health care. Furthermore, 

we continue to provide case management services to the veteran during this time 

of vulnerability. All of these services are provided by TLS with no financial assistance from the VA or any other funding source. The only financial support TLS receives for assisting with permanent housing comes from the Disabled American Veterans Foundation and that funding goes to the veteran for security deposits, utilities, household items, and the first month’s rent. The monies we receive annually 

from the DAV support only FOUR veterans transitioning to permanent housing during that 1 year period. 

As our program continues and grows, we will have an ever increasing number of 

veterans in permanent housing, and we will be providing services to this population. 

Soon, our resources, already stretched to their maximum limits, simply will be unVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
22

able to be stretched far enough to provide the support services so desperately needed. Not providing these services is not an option as many of our grants are driven 

by providing these very services. I strongly suspect that the lack of these services 

will threaten the success of our veterans. We encourage Congress to authorize a specific funding stream for the aftercare and permanent housing of veterans graduating 

from transitional housing. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention the soldiers returning from conflicts around 

the world. These men and women are the future of our great nation. While I believe 

that many of them will become future leaders, I am greatly concerned that many 

will succumb to the same fate as those I have worked with from the Vietnam era, 

Korean conflict, and WWII. I am already providing counseling for some of these 

troubled young people as they return from Iraq. While we have yet to admit a veteran from the Iraqi war into our homeless program, we have served several Gulf 

War veterans. I am presently providing psychological services in my practice for 

four veterans recently returned from Iraq. Psychological and substance abuse problems can and often do lead to homelessness. All too often, the neglect of these issues 

becomes a chronic problem for the veteran and results in homelessness. While the 

VA has displayed a willingness to look at this concern, and Congress has provided 

additional funding, my experience to date is that we are ill prepared to address the 

sheer quantity of veterans who will need treatment. Furthermore, many of the professionals who have experience addressing these issues are retiring from the VA. 

The resource of professionals experienced in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress 

Disorder and related problems is dwindling. A reduction of professional staff familiar with the psychological and substance abuse problems caused by war trauma will 

greatly threaten the continuation and success of programs provided to heal the veterans of today’s wars. 

Most of the pre-Gulf War veterans were men, so most of our homeless population 

of veterans, thus far, has been made up of men. The veterans returning today are 

men AND women, presenting problems we have not had to deal with before. Our 

facility and other homeless facilities are going to have to be prepared to deal with 

men, women, and possibly children of these veterans. This fact presents an entire 

new set of problems for which we are unprepared at this time. 

Let me conclude by urging the VA and Congress to make every effort to prevent 

our returning soldiers’ problems from becoming chronic to the degree that these 

brave men and women are at future risk of homelessness.

Chairman CRAIG. Now, let us turn to Tim Cantwell, Manager of 

Cloudbreak Development, Inglewood, California. Tim, thanks for 

traveling all the way out. 

STATEMENT OF THOMAS R. CANTWELL, JR., MANAGER, 

CLOUDBREAK DEVELOPMENT, LLC, INGLEWOOD CALIFORNIA 

Mr. CANTWELL. My pleasure. More than 14,000 homeless veterans have been placed in service-enriched housing since we 

opened our doors the end of 1993, from Hawaii, at Barbers Point 

Naval Air Station in the west, base closure process and property 

obtained from DOD by Honolulu VA Medical Center, leased to us 

for 50 years, through to a service-only center in VSN3, New York 

City, tonight we have over 2,000 beds of service-enriched housing 

for homeless veterans in six States and the District of Columbia. 

Cloudbreak Development is a for-profit specialized need housing 

developer for homeless veterans. It focuses on the siting and entitlement process through local cities for gaining approval to place 

into service a scale project for homeless veterans. These companies 

finance, design, manage, build, and deliver these facilities for residences and for services. 

The United States Veterans Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit 

formed specifically to provide services for homeless veterans. Together, we are known as a collaborative called U.S. VETS. 

Annually, we serve more than 10,000 homeless veterans. Seven 

sites are VA Grant and Per Diem or Per Diem only supported, with 

about 600 beds. The other 1,700—it is almost 700 beds—the other 

23

1,700 beds are supported through a variety of means, including 

HUD, Department of Labor, and AmeriCorps. HVRP supports 

seven of those sites directly. We place in employment over 1,000 

veterans each and every year at an average wage of $9.51 per hour. 

There are tables in the sheet that will show you by site the number 

of beds and the dollar placement per hour for the employment activities. 

Eighty-four percent maintain their sobriety in the VA Per Diem 

supported beds. Fifty percent of those that relapse return to treatment. Eighty-five percent transitioned from VA Per Diem beds to 

long-term service-enriched housing. Eighty-one percent statistically 

obtained employment within 90 days. 

At Cabrillo Savannah Naval Housing, formerly in Long Beach, 

we designed and delivered and operate in conjunction with Century 

Housing Corporation what would be a 921-bed facility for homeless 

veterans, families, and youth. Currently, 750 reside in that site. 

The General Plan Amendment, zone change, use permit, and multiple tract maps were what was required in order to deliver that. 

There is over $40 million in private capital invested in that. 

All of our sites operate within a self-determined, case management, full accountability modality, and I think that you will find 

that virtually all of the members of NCHV, all of those communitybased service providers, subscribe to that model. 

The combining of NVRP, HUD, AmeriCorps, State, county, city, 

and private funds have allowed the creation of many specialized 

programs. On-campus mental health clinic, I second what Alan was 

saying. I don’t know the specifics of the situation. We should encourage the VA to make on-campus placement with staff. Specialized trauma units for female veterans have been started underneath these programs. Compensated work therapy of the VA is integrated at every turn where it is appropriate and makes sense and 

is available, and it is not available everywhere. 

Everywhere, I think it is safe to say, community-based providers 

link with the HVHC programs of the VA through outreach for crisis intervention and treatment where it is appropriate. Outpatient 

and day treatment hospital programs are linked and coordinated 

with the VA. VASH programs, where they are available, are linked 

for long-term permanent housing with supportive services. It 

works. 

In 1996, the general consensus in L.A. was that there were 

80,000 homeless individuals on the street. Twenty-four to 27,000 of 

those were estimated to be homeless veterans. In January 2006, 

the greater L.A. count for one night on homeless showed there were 

88,000 homeless individuals on the street. This is the good news. 

Eighteen thousand of them were homeless veterans, so you have a 

reduction in percentage of the whole and in absolute terms. 

There is a great deal more to do. I second what Michael said. At 

every single one of our sites, we are seeing Iraqi war vets, but this 

Committee should take great comfort in knowing that a concentrated effort of service delivery with beds has a result. In 1993, 

there were only 69 veteran beds in L.A. Today, there are over 2,000 

beds for veterans in L.A., and you can see what the impact is. It 

has an effect, a difference. 

24

Four points. Authorize, to the fullest extent possible, the VA specialized programs for homeless and HVRP. We encourage the notion that NCHV is placed forward, that you set a floor of 345,000 

with a fixed percentage of the VA health care budget to assure that 

these programs will be funded. 

Two, simplify. The lowest cost per day in VHA’s inpatient system is domiciliary care. I think we could all know that. It is over $150 

a day. Contracted substance abuse from the VA is always something averaging more than $50 a day. In some locations in Hawaii, 

it is well over $100 a day. If we get a cheap motel in a soft market, 

it costs you $45 a day without a nickel’s worth of services, much 

less food, case management, legal services, crisis intervention, relapse prevention, job development and placement. Thirty-dollars 

per day is the Per Diem rate, new to the State home. Set that as 

a Per Diem rate and let us simplify it. Let us make it a payment 

for services and measure outcomes. You can measure the outcomes. 

We don’t need to squabble over whether or not that $30 a day went 

hither or yon. It is a deal and a half. 

Second, or third——

Chairman CRAIG. You only get one more. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. CANTWELL. I only get one more. OK. I will be very quick 

with it. Clarify. Clarify. Everyone knows that none of this can be 

done with any one funding stream. It takes all of the Federal agencies and every nickel that you can garner together from State and 

local agencies. By very design, it is intended that these activities 

are coordinated, leveraged together to stitch—and this is important—we have a fragmented service delivery system funded by a 

fragmented Federal program. Those have to be blended together 

into a seamless service delivery for the homeless veteran we are 

trying to serve. The outcome has to be the integration of that veteran to his highest level of independence. 

This Committee needs to clarify its intent for Congress to collaborate in everything and be redundant in nothing and clarify 

that these funds can be used for that purpose, leveraged and combined together to do that service delivery. 

And last, seize the opportunity. Seize the opportunity. I believe 

that it is the obligation of private business to support a healthy 

community. It should be engaged, the private sector, in delivering 

and assisting this needs population. Well, so much, so more that 

the Government should do that, as well. When faced with base closures, the CARES process, for every opportunity that results in a 

homeless veteran activity of scale, there are hundreds that are 

frustrated and denied. Right here in Washington, DC, we are 

watching that happen and those of you on the Armed Services 

Committee, we would love to talk to you about the Old Soldiers’ 

Home. 

With that, we thank you very much for this opportunity. 

Chairman CRAIG. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Cantwell follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THOMAS R. CANTWELL, JR., MANAGER,

CLOUDBREAK DEVELOPMENT

U.S. VETS is a collaboration primarily between the Cloudbreak Development family of companies owned by Cantwell-Anderson, Inc. (a for profit real estate develVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
25

oper) and United States Veterans Initiative (a nonprofit homeless veteran service 

provider). Today, we collectively operate service enriched housing facilities for over 

2,000 homeless veterans (694 of which are Per Diem beds) in nine locations (7 sites 

are Per Diem and HVRP supported) throughout the country, and services-only programs in two additional locations. With property in some stage of development we 

anticipate total housing capacity to approach 4,000 veterans. 

An alarming new homeless veteran population is surfacing. In virtually all of our 

sites we are seeing Iraqi war homeless veterans. Disturbingly, many of these mostly 

able-bodied young men are clearly disoriented. Incidence of PTSD is rampant and 

we suspect what we see today is but the tip of the iceberg. 

Operating housing in Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Washington DC, a GPD service center in Houston, and an Americorps program in VSN 

3 (New York City area and New Jersey), U.S. VETS serves more than 10,000 individual veterans each year, placing more than 1000 annually in jobs. The attached 

Exhibit A ‘‘U.S. VETS HOUSING PROGRAMS’’ detail beds and average job placement wage by location. 

Beginning with one site in 1993, U.S. VETS has housed over 14,000 homeless veterans. We measure outcomes and they are remarkable. This itself a testimony to 

the fundamental commitment of the vets we serve and the coordination with the existing community care system in which we are located including the attendant VHA 

system. When placed in our VA Per Diem and HVRP programs the following tables 

(for Westside Residence Hall in Los Angeles) show you both a 1-year set of objectives as well as results by year 2000–2005: • Table #2 shows that for 2005 approximately 84 percent maintained sobriety, of 

those relapsing 50 percent returned to treatment. • Table #3 shows that for 2005 approximately 85 percent transitioned from the 

VA Per Diems programs to long term housing. • Table #4 shows that for 2005 over 80 percent remained in that housing for more 

than 6 months. • Table #5 shows that for 2005 approximately 81 percent obtained employment 

within 90 days. • The U.S. VETS HOUSING PROGRAMS Table shows an average wage place- ment rate of $9.51 per hour. 

At the former Cabrillo Savannah Naval Housing Base we first acquired control 

(thru the 1994 base closure process) then conceived, planned, entitled, developed 

and have managed through to delivery and operations a Residential Planned Community for homeless veterans, families and youth. With financing primarily from 

Century Housing Corporation and tax credit equity from John Hancock Realty (aggregating $40M), the development is now housing over 500 veterans and more than 

250 women and children in specialized family programs run by Catholic Charities, 

Salvation Army, New Image, 1736 Family Crisis Center, and Changing Spirits (a 

Native American Indian Treatment program), a child care center, homeless transitional school (Long Beach Unified), on campus college teaching (Long Beach City 

College), and a Long Beach VAMC substance abuse clinic. With active new development under way the full 921 beds and the nearly 80,000 square feet of commercial 

education and training services space approved through the city of Long Beach entitlement process in 1998 (General Plan Amendment, Zone Change, Use permit, and 

multiple tract maps) should be achieved within the next 5 years. 

All our sites operate within a self determined, case managed, full accountability 

modality. The VA Grant and Per Diem and Per Diem Only programs regularly combined with HVRP, HUD, Americorps, State, County, City and local private funds 

have allowed us to create a specific Fathers Program for veteran fathers with dependent children, a program for veterans with High Barriers to employment, the 

largest female veteran program in the country with a special unit for sexual trauma 

victims (Long Beach VAMC), several dually diagnosed programs for chronically 

homeless mentally ill veterans, and a special needs Critical Time Intervention effort 

(Houston VAMC). Westside Residence Hall has an on campus Mental Health Clinic 

(West LA VAMC) that provides crisis intervention and case management to veterans not in the Per Diem supported beds. The VA Compensated Work Therapy programs are actively engaged with our veteran residents for initial stabilization when 

appropriate and in locations where it is available. Everywhere we link with VA outreach from the HVHC and coordinate with their VASH programs. 

It works. In 1996 the general consensus homeless estimate that on any given 

night for the streets of LA County was around 80,000 individuals and of that 

24,000–27,000 were estimated to be veterans. In 2005, The Los Angeles Homeless 

Services Authority’s Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count released in January 2006 

indicates there are now more than 88,000 homeless individuals on any given night 

but of those only 18,000 were veterans. This is a reduction in both absolute and perVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
26

centage terms. While there are flaws in comparing estimate to actual, the fact is 

that in 1992 there were only 69 beds across all of LA’s shelter system for vets, and 

today, there are nearly 2,000. 1,200 of these are supported by VA Per Diem dollars. 

U.S. VETS provides 1,000, or 50 percent of the total veteran specific beds, and 312 

(25 percent) of the VA Per Diem supported beds. 

We believe that the ability of the LA system to place a motivated homeless veteran into an appropriate setting on a same day basis, has contributed to a reduction 

in the number of homeless veterans. Clearly the carefully woven effort in LA is having an impact. The hand up not a hand out philosophy is proving its worth. The 

coordinated effort of the Greater LA VAMC system and the Community Based Service Providers are chipping away at the problem. 

LA still has the highest homeless veteran population in the country; so much 

more is to be accomplished. However this progress should give this committee great 

comfort and satisfaction. 

Authorize. Keep the specialized programs of the VA and DOL authorized and 

funded to the fullest possible extent. NCHV has suggested funding levels by program which we support. Furthermore we join them in urging you to establish a specialized homeless program specific purpose account within VA medical services appropriation and ensure that of such sums appropriated annually for VA medical 

services, the greater of a fixed sum of $345,672,000 or 1.26 percent of the total medical services appropriation be reserved for specialized homeless programs. 

Simplify. The lowest cost per day of inpatient care in the veterans’ health care system is their domiciliary operations of at least $150 per day. Most VA contracted 

substance abuse treatment programs exceed $60 per day some are over $100 per 

day. Surely it is safe to say that if a homeless veteran provider is delivering beds 

scrutinized by VA life safety inspections, meals approved by a VA dietician, and 

services that may include substance abuse treatment, case management, job placement, and life skills development, it’s safe to say that’s worth at least $30/day. One 

can’t rent a low end hotel room for less than $45 per day except in the softest of 

markets . . . much less with food and services of any kind. Right now, community 

based providers are spending scarce time and resources to demonstrate their need 

for $30 per day. If the provider is successful in getting additional funding from 

agencies or corporations, they are required to reduce their Per Diem payment accordingly, thereby assuring that the provider can never increase its capacity to do 

anything. Simplify the process and structure the Per Diem payments as a fee paid 

by VHA set at the current State Home Domiciliary rate! Look to the VA monitors 

to review the quality of services delivered pursuant to the contract developed following the grant application award. Measure outcomes . . . it can be that simple. 

Clarify. The point is, it works! How? Because we have leveraged and combined 

funds from DVA, DOL, HUD, and CNS to provide housing, treatment, training and 

employment, and a variety of supportive services . . . 

Taxpayers have invested lots of resources in trying to address the homeless issue, 

and specifically the homeless veteran issue. There has been an underlying presumption that there have been a variety of resources available through HUD, VA, DOL, 

and HHS that could be accessible for providers serving homeless veterans. In fact 

Congress saw fit to increase funding to many of these programs. An underlying 

mandate came with this funding, that they would be leveraged and combined with 

other available Federal and local resources to take the otherwise fragmented service 

delivery and stitch it into a seamless delivery for the homeless veterans we are targeting. The creation of the Samaritan funding for chronically homeless is based on 

the idea that these funds should be used together and leveraged to create the greatest possibility of success for the hardest to serve populations. 

The Interagency Council on Homelessness is charged with being sure that Federal 

agencies are coordinating efforts to end homelessness! We should be combining all 

Federal, state and local resources to get the best possible service delivery for these 

men and women who have served their country. No one agency can fund all these 

costs. Surely, it is the congressional intent that we collaborate in everything and are 

redundant in nothing. 

While everyone talks about collaborating and coordinating funds and services, and 

we’re told the best programs do that, there appears to a lack of clarity on whether 

these VA program funds can be used to leverage or match other Federal funds to 

assist homeless veterans. This committee should clearly provide that these funds 

can be used for this purpose. 

The following tables are standard objectives that are reviewed at each U.S. VETS 

site to measure program outcomes and Veteran successes. 

An example Objective Outcome Measures is provided from U.S. VETS-Los Angeles. 

Table 1. Veterans in Progress Program Objectives 

27

Table 2. Sobriety Maintenance 

Table 3. Transition to Long-Term Housing 

Table 4. Housing Stability 

Table 5. Job Placement


28175.001
28


28175.002
29


28175.003
30


28175.004
31


28175.005
32


28175.006
33

Chairman CRAIG. We have been joined by Senator Salazar. Senator, we are expediting this morning because of those stacked 

votes, and if you have an opening statement, we would ask that 

you make that a part of the record. 

STATEMENT OF HON. KEN SALAZAR,

U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO 

Senator SALAZAR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do have an opening statement and am equally concerned with you and Chairman 

Akaka and the Members of this Committee because of the number 

of homeless that we have in our State, and thank you very much. 

Chairman CRAIG. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Salazar follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. KEN SALAZAR, U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO

Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Craig and Senator Akaka for giving the 

Committee this opportunity to address the issue of homelessness within the veterans’ community. 

Too often, our veterans return home without the support necessary to meet their 

basic needs. VA estimates that a half million of our nation’s bravest men and 

women experience homelessness in any given year, and that veterans make up thirty percent of the entire adult homeless population in the U.S. It is an absolute tragedy that these veterans—who have given so much to our country—cannot expect 

their government to give them the support they need when it comes to fulfilling the 

basic human need for housing. 

Homeless veterans represent the most vulnerable segment of our veteran population, and helping them should be one of our highest priorities. In my home State 

of Colorado, about seventy percent of homeless veterans have been dually diagnosed 

with both substance abuse and mental illness. We cannot even begin to fix the problem of homelessness until we address these medical issues and provide our veterans 

with the treatment they need to overcome them. 

Three years ago, the city of Denver created a Commission to End Homelessness, 

which was tasked with developing a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the Denver 

area. In late 2004, they released their plan called Denver’s Road Home. I believe 

this program represents a promising opportunity for VA to increase the involvement 

of homeless veterans in mainstream services, and I look forward to working with 

VA to ensure we take full advantage of it. 

I am still concerned, however, that housing resources for homeless veterans are 

insufficient. Colorado currently has no permanent supportive housing projects dedicated to homeless veterans. This puts veterans in my home State at a serious disadvantage when it comes to securing adequate housing, and I find this alarming. 

In addition, we must not overlook the women who make up about 5–10 percent 

of the homeless veterans population in my state. Their needs, though often different 

from those of the majority of homeless veterans, are just as urgent and our efforts 

to address them should be just as vigorous. 

Finally, although the vast majority of Colorado’s homeless veterans are located in 

the Denver metropolitan area, we must not overlook the challenges faced by homeless veterans in rural areas of our country. I know that some of our witnesses will 

address that issue today, and I look forward to discussing ways we can improve 

services for that vulnerable population. 

Again, I want to thank Larry Craig and Danny Akaka for holding this hearing, 

and I want to thank all of our panelists for coming here today to discuss the important issue of helping veterans—who have sacrificed so much—with their most basic 

needs. 

Thank you.

Chairman CRAIG. Michael, I will come back to you and I will ask 

a question of each of you, if I could, and we will see if we can move 

through a round of questioning before those votes start, at least of 

this panel. 

In your testimony, you have asked that the eligible population 

for HVRP services be expanded to include veterans at imminent 

risk of homelessness. I agree with you that homelessness prevenVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
34

tion is obviously a laudable goal. Can you give the Committee a 

real-life example of what you believe is a veteran in imminent risk 

of homelessness? We are trying to understand what these definitions mean and at what point do certain actions trigger. 

Mr. BLECKER. Well, I mean, you have a lot of Iraq war vets who 

(A) don’t want to admit that they have problems, and (B) it’s really 

going to be a big challenge to outreach to them in a meaningful 

way. They are living on couches of their friends. They are at imminent risk of being homeless, depending on the definition. Essentially, they are one paycheck away from being homeless. 

You come out of the military and suddenly you are under enormous financial strain. You lose your housing allowance. You lose 

your source of income. You lose your health insurance, et cetera. 

So returning soldiers are under tremendous financial strain and I 

would say there are quite a few Iraq war vets right now who are 

at grave risk of being homeless. 

Again, this is sort of a way—I mean, HVRP, I would like to double the pot. I would like to see $50 million for these services, as 

I think that was authorized, but hasn’t been appropriated. That is 

a meaningful level. Right now, we have less than half that. If we 

increase that pot again, it makes a big difference. I mean, for just 

$2,000, a homeless veteran has a placement. The Grant and Per 

Diem Program is very cost-effective. 

Chairman CRAIG. Thank you. 

Mr. BELCHER. Senator, I might add that just last week, I received a call from our local Veterans Assistance Commission asking 

us for some help with an Iraqi veteran and his two children. They 

were living in a basement and they needed—he had lost his job and 

he was going to be homeless in the near future, and we can’t serve 

a family. If we were able to help him with a job, give him some 

support, that would make a huge difference with this fellow and 

his children. Thank you. 

Chairman CRAIG. Alan, as a small provider in, I guess, rural suburbia——

Mr. BELCHER. Yes. 

Chairman CRAIG [continuing].—you spoke of your concerns. By 

what definition do you not have access to the CBOC in the community? 

Mr. BELCHER. When we take a veteran into our program, the 

CBOC has a waiting list of 18 months to 2 years. We take a veteran into our program, we provide the housing for him, hopefully, 

it is not going to be that long. We may find a job and placement 

within a year. He can be on the waiting list, but during the time 

that he is in our program, he will not have access to it. He will not 

be able to use it. He can’t even get in the front door. I have called 

over at North Chicago on several different occasions trying to say, 

we need some slots. We need to——

Chairman CRAIG. So you are not talking of a slot by name, but 

a generic slot——

Mr. BELCHER. A generic slot——

Chairman CRAIG [continuing]. So you can access it? 

Mr. BELCHER. Yes, because by name, it is not possible to get it 

by name because of the waiting list they have. 

35

Chairman CRAIG. All right. Tim, obviously, your record as it relates to where you were in 1993 to where you are today is a phenomenally positive one and a great comment. You expressed yourself in a variety of ways as it relates to programs. What single combination of efforts do you owe the success of your organization? 

Mr. CANTWELL. It is not just our organization. To begin with, I 

think it demonstrates that our veteran population is capable. It is 

more educated, often, than the general homeless population. It has 

performed before, at least once in their life. Now, there is a whole 

bunch of carnage that goes along with that, but that is the beginning part. 

And second, the coordination and design on a community by community basis—Mr. Blecker alluded to it. Every setting is different. 

The paradigm in Honolulu and Oahu and all the islands is very different than the paradigm in Houston, Texas, or Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Gaming and gambling addiction is a big problem in Las Vegas. 

Crack cocaine and heroin is the drug of choice in Los Angeles. Alcoholism in Houston, Texas. It varies. 

So the coordination of all of what is there in the existing care 

system, along with the specialized programs offered from VHA, all 

of them for homeless, and the Department of Labor, HVRP and the 

Workforce Development Programs in various States, together with 

a local vision of what this thing should look like, private bank financing for leverage, tax credit equity for equity, all of those parts 

together, it is stitching it together into one thing with one clear, 

strong vision. 

Chairman CRAIG. Thank you. 

Senator Akaka. 

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

My question is on looking at targeted services. We know that 

about over half of the homeless veterans are minorities. My question to you is, what can agencies involved in homelessness prevention, what can they do to provide more targeted services to certain 

sub-groups of homeless veterans, and in particular the minority 

veterans? Let me ask Mr. Mike Blecker to please first respond. 

Mr. BLECKER. I think the definition of being community-based 

tells you that you are comprised of your community. SWORDS and 

other community-based organizations work with outreach workers. 

It is helping vets. Oftentimes our workforce is comprised of formerly homeless vets themselves. That was actually a guiding light 

of some of the early VA programs, peer support. Minorities are also 

part of the community-based organization. That establishes your 

rapport. That allows you to do the outreach. That allows you to 

reach people in a meaningful way. It is very specialized. That is 

what a community-based organization brings to the table. 

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Belcher. 

Mr. BELCHER. I would also echo that. We serve the greater 

Chicagoland area. In spite of the fact that we are a rural program, 

we also have referrals that come from—or many referrals that 

come out of Hines Hospital. So we do serve—a fairly large percentage of our population are minorities. I think at present, out of the 

14 residents, we have 4 African-Americans. We try very hard to be 

sensitive to the issues that they bring to the table and we will, 

when we are able to, hire staff that are African-American. 

36

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Cantwell. 

Mr. CANTWELL. Each of the sites that we operate in look exactly 

like our community. In Hawaii, we have a huge number of Native 

Hawaiians on property involved in the management and in the delivery of those services and the beneficiaries of those services. 

The specialized programs within the VA, from the Grant and Per 

Diem Program and Per Diem Only Program, is actually very responsive to specialized niche groups. I would suggest, as before, 

that you authorize and help to see that appropriated dollars go to 

these specialized programs for HVRPs and for VHA. 

I think we are beginning to see some progress with HUD. There 

have been struggles even in some States with State Attorney Generals saying that delivering veteran-specific activities, it is discriminating and you can’t do it. We only recently accomplished getting a reversal in the State of California. 

So sub-populations within the homeless veteran population is advanced by furthering dollars that are specific to veterans and making them available for the creation of programs as they are necessary to meet specialized needs. 

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. Mr. Alan Belcher, in your testimony, 

you note that it took your organization 3 years to receive homeless 

provider Grant and Per Diem funding, and that was also discussed 

by Mr. Cantwell. Can you take us through the process you went 

through to receive this grant? Are technical assistance grants helpful to providers like yourself in expediting this process? What suggestions do you have to help improve the process based on your experience? 

Mr. BELCHER. The grant process for us, once again, we start from 

the point where we are a very grassroots organization with very 

few—this was a board of directors, primarily myself, who was writing this grant. It is an arduous task to write it and I did not have 

the experience that maybe some other groups would have with 

writing Federal grants. 

Last week, I received a call and was involved in several calls and 

somebody suggested to have my development team produce the 

written document that you received. Well, not only do I not have 

a development team, I don’t have a development officer. So it boils 

down to me and maybe one of the staff members coming to the 

table and writing some of this material. There is a lack of time. 

There is a lack of money. It makes it very difficult. 

In addition to that, I went to see a person at Hines Hospital who 

is very familiar with the process. I asked her, ‘‘What do I do to get 

this grant?’’ She reviewed it, spent a lot of time with me, and made 

many suggestions, and the following year it was funded. The main 

suggestion that I was given, though, was don’t be so honest. You 

don’t talk about problems that you have. Talk about the solutions 

you are providing. I was, frankly, being a little too honest in the 

process. So that is what I have gone through. 

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. Thank you very much. 

Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman CRAIG. Thank you very much. 

Senator Obama. 

Senator OBAMA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Again, 

thanks to all of you for being here. 

37

I think this is obviously an absolutely critical issue, and one of 

my main concerns is that we just don’t provide enough funding, as 

I think has been mentioned, for the HVRP or the Grant and Per 

Diem Program. Each year, these programs have been funded well 

below their authorized levels. What I am interested in is finding 

out how that manifests itself on the ground. How often would any 

of you have to turn away veterans who could use these services because of lack of resources? You have mentioned some of the issues 

that you are all confronting, but can you give us a concrete sense 

of whether you are turning away folks or you are simply not able 

to do outreach to people who might otherwise be served? 

Mr. BLECKER. Well, I will start. It is just a dreadful situation. 

In San Francisco, there are 56 Grant and Per Diem beds for at 

least 1,500 homeless veterans. In Atlanta, I think there are 40 

Grant and Per Diem beds for 2,000 homeless veterans. It is dramatic. 

Senator OBAMA. Can you repeat that. Forty-five——

Mr. BLECKER. Forty or 45 Grant and Per Diem beds for, I think 

a sound number is approximately 2,000 homeless veterans in Atlanta. 

Senator OBAMA. OK. 

Mr. BLECKER. In San Francisco, there are 56 beds, perhaps more, 

for at least 1,500 homeless vets. That is the dimension of the problem. There are far more than 10,000 homeless vets—yet there are 

not quite 10,000 beds. We are trying to struggle to get 10,000 beds. 

There needs to be at least twice that many. Sometimes, it is difficult to even incentivize the operators because the way the payments work. First of all, it takes 10 accountants to figure out how 

to count what is income and what is disallowed and what is allowable versus disallowed and it just completely overwhelms your organization. So there are problems like that. It even serves—if you 

add another bed that is not in the program, it can also reduce your 

Grant and Per Diem rate. So I think the rates need to be reasonable so that the operators can work with them, and that is a real 

problem. 

But, of course, we all know that there is a shortage of affordable, 

permanent housing. It is a crisis and it is so true with veterans. 

Senator OBAMA. Does anybody want to add anything? 

Mr. BELCHER. Yes. I could just add a couple of things. First of 

all, part of our contract is that we search these sites where homeless veterans can be found. Well, actually, it is kind of cruel for us 

to go out there and search these sites under bridges and in pad 

sites and things like that because if we find somebody, we can’t 

serve them. We can tell them, we will put you on our waiting list 

and when we reach the top of our waiting list in 6 to 9 months, 

then we will take you in. That is clearly cruel. 

Clearly, we need more beds, and I think that we have the willingness of these veterans groups throughout this country to make 

that happen and full funding would be very much appreciated. 

Senator OBAMA. In the time remaining, I want to talk about 

wrap-around services. I think all of you mentioned the fact that a 

lot of the issues that confront homeless veterans have not only to 

do with unemployment, the economic hardship, but are also connected to mental health and substance abuse issues. I am just curiVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
38

ous about the degree to which you guys are able to provide followup services. My assumption is for a lot of homeless veterans, they 

may come in for a while, slip out of the program. What kinds of 

after-care services are you able to provide to GPD and HVRP recipients? 

Mr. BLECKER. I will start. I think it is very unique. Each program has a certain level of resources they work with and it’s not 

what you have, but how you collaborate with your partners. None 

of these CBOs could possibly do what they are doing without incredible partnerships and collaborations. They work with their 

community. In fact, probably the definition of a case manager is 

somebody that hustles their rear end off to find out what else is 

out there. And so our relationship doesn’t begin and end when 

somebody is in a program or out of the program. We are there and 

we have been there for as long as the veterans need us, and all the 

providers know that. 

A really profound point is that non-VA services really underserve 

veterans. In other words, mainstream employment and training 

services, mainstream mental health services, they anxiously triage 

vets out of their system because they are all tapped out. They 

triage them out. 

Senator OBAMA. Why would they do that? 

Mr. BLECKER. Because they assume and they wish to believe that 

the VA will take care of every mental health veteran because it is 

the VA system. There is this lavish separate system of care. Why 

should we strain our resources? In fact, there is a conference going 

on right now, a SAMHSA conference for that very purpose, which 

is to alert SAMHSA programs that there is a VA system out there. 

There is tremendous pressure on the current mainstream sources. 

If you looked at any employment and training service in the country, you would see that they serve a microscopic number of vets. 

Vets are dramatically underserved by our mainstream employment 

and training services and by our mental health services. That is 

why we are really dependent on the VA and the community-based 

system of care. 

Senator OBAMA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know we have to 

go vote. 

Chairman CRAIG. Thank you very much, Senator, and to our 

panelists, thank you very much. I have additional questions I 

would like to ask. I am going to submit them to you. We would love 

your response. Obviously, you folks are on the front line and have 

a perspective that is very valuable to this Committee and to the 

VA as we sort through these issues. Again, thank you very much. 

The Committee will stand in recess, I would like to say for no 

more than about 30 minutes, 35 minutes as we work our way 

through these votes. We are catching the first on the tail end, so 

we will be able to expedite it as much as possible. So for the first 

panel, we will appreciate your patience. Thank you very much. The 

Committee will be in recess. 

[Recess.] 

Chairman CRAIG. The Committee will come together. Again, let 

me thank you all for your patience. We got deterred longer than 

I thought, and we are still in the middle of votes, so we clearly are 

going to sandwich you all in so that we can get your testimony for 

39

the record. I am not sure we will have anyone else attending, but 

we will leave the record open for any questions that may be asked. 

Let me introduce our last and first panel, Mr. Peter Dougherty, 

Director, Office of Homeless Veterans Programs, Department of 

Veterans Affairs, accompanied by Paul Smits, Associate Chief Consultant, Homeless and Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment 

Programs, and Roger Casey, Director, Homeless Providers Grant 

and Per Diem Program; the Honorable Chick Ciccolella, Assistant 

Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training, Department of 

Labor; and Philip Mangano, Executive Director, Interagency Council on Homelessness. 

Thank you all, gentlemen, very much. Pete, we are going to start 

with you and we will work our way across the table. Please proceed. 

STATEMENT OF PETER H. DOUGHERTY, DIRECTOR, HOMELESS VETERANS PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS; ACCOMPANIED BY PAUL E. SMITS, ASSOCIATE 

CHIEF CONSULTANT, HOMELESS AND RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; 

AND ROGER CASEY, PROGRAM MANAGER, HOMELESS 

GRANT AND PER DIEM PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

Mr. DOUGHERTY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is my pleasure to 

be here today and I appreciate the opportunity to have both Mr. 

Casey and Mr. Smits here with me in case there are questions. Secretary Nicholson, I would like to thank you for inviting us to attend 

and testify at this hearing. 

Based upon what you have heard today, everyone who is at this 

table presently and everyone who has been at the table previously 

thinks that homelessness among veterans should be something 

that is inconceivable in this country and everyone believes that we 

need to do more. 

What are we doing? At VA, we aggressively outreach with our 

own staff and with our partners in communities across the country 

and engage more than 40,000 homeless veterans typically on an average year. We see them in soup kitchens, we see them in the 

streets, under the bridges, anywhere and everywhere that we can 

find them. We do this every day. We participate in stand-downs 

and other community outreach events that reach out and find more 

than 20,000 veterans and family members each and every year at 

100 or more of those events across the country. We want those veterans connected not only to VA health care and benefits services, 

but also to the services of other community providers. 

We enhanced our performance measures to provide timely access 

to psychiatric evaluations and treatment, engagement in treatment 

programs for substance abuse disorders, access to quality primary 

health care, including residential treatment and community housing. VA provides health care and services to more than 100,000 

homeless veterans every year. Our effort is to enhance timely accesses that I mentioned. 

We have in our Compensation and Pension Service a relatively 

new program where we are expediting claims for veterans who are 

homeless. They are very vulnerable. The opportunity to get some 

40

income support including service-connected compensation is very 

important to lift them out of homelessness. 

VA has expedited nearly 14,000 claims in the past 2 years. Thirty-seven percent of all veterans we have identified as homeless who 

have filed compensation claims have been granted awards, and 73 

percent of those who filed for pension have been given those 

awards. Those benefits, as I indicated, lift many veterans out of 

homelessness. 

As others at this table will say, we are a very active member of 

the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and we are active 

with a number of other Federal initiatives. We also have a significant relationship with our advisory committee, who has been very 

helpful not only in giving us advice on what we can do internally 

and externally—Mr. Blecker, an earlier witness, is one of our advisory committee members. They give us a lot of good advice as to 

how we could work with others. 

There are a lot of questions about are we being effective, are we 

making a difference? I think we can say undoubtedly we are. Ten 

years ago, based on the absolute best information we had in this 

country, we believed there were about 250,000 homeless veterans 

on any given night in this country. We have been refining, and we 

meet with community providers and advocates and service providers across the country. Each and every year, we compile an annual report, our homeless assessment. We do lots of things with 

that, but one of the things we try to do is to get an assessment of 

how many homeless veterans there are on a given night. We have 

been saying that the number has been coming down. We have been 

reporting that to the Congress. In this year’s report, we are going 

to say that we believe that the number of homeless veterans on any 

given night is approaching 190,000. 

But as Secretary Nicholson said when he talked to the National 

Coalition for Homeless Veterans last year, that is a reason to continue our investment. We are making progress and we are having 

positive results. 

We work with our friends at HUD and HHS on a collaborative 

initiative that others may talk about, but what that really is to provide permanent housing for veterans and other homeless, chronically homeless people. We provide case management services to 

the veterans. We are also doing the overall program monitoring 

and evaluation of those sites. The good part, Mr. Chairman, is in 

order to get that funding, you had to pass muster with the Department of Veterans Affairs. And 30 percent of all the people in that 

housing are veterans. 

We work closely with our friends at HUD in programs that provide case management. That program has been effective, and we 

have over 2,000 veterans who benefit by being in permanent housing where VA provides case management services. About 1,000 veterans are in an initiative that started many years ago under President George Herbert Walker Bush in a program called HUD–

VASH. While the number of beds in that program has shrunk, the 

good news is there still are over 2,000 veterans in permanent housing being case managed by VA. 

We have a relationship with the Department of Labor based on 

some statutory authority you all gave us a few years ago to work 

41

on seven pilot projects with veterans who are coming out of incarceration. Mr. Chairman, we think, and I am sure Assistant Secretary Ciccolella will mention in his testimony, that we think this 

is a very important thing to do because many of the veterans that 

we come in contact with get in trouble and run afoul of the criminal justice system. That is a very expensive system. We think early 

intervention will assist significantly. 

As everyone knows, the Grant and Per Diem Program is the 

most significant opportunity for us to engage community providers. 

We have been able to access over 10,000 transitional housing beds, 

high-quality beds, the beds of the folks that were on your previous 

panel and testified to. We have over 10,000. Last year, we were 

able to finally do something that we have made as an internal goal, 

and that is to get at least one operating program in every State, 

with the States of Maine and Alaska recently coming on board, we 

have now been able to do that. 

Over 90 percent of the veterans that we see in those programs 

have a substance abuse or mental health problem. We have residential rehabilitation and treatment beds that are VA-run. We 

have been adding domiciliary care and other programs. We added 

500 more beds there. We have now 4,400 beds that are available 

in those VA run programs. 

The good part, Mr. Chairman, is——

Chairman CRAIG. Peter, we are going to have to ask you to stick 

to your time as close as possible. 

Mr. DOUGHERTY. Let me just finish up one more thing, then. Mr. 

Chairman, one of the things that we think is probably most important to this Committee is how successful are we? We did a study 

of 1,350 veterans who had come out of different types of residential 

treatment programs. A year after discharge, 80 percent of them 

were still appropriately housed, including in treatment services a 

year after they left the VA-specific program. 

Mr. Chairman, we look forward to answering any other questions 

you may have and appreciate the opportunity to be here. 

Chairman CRAIG. Peter, thank you very much for that testimony. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Dougherty follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF PETER H. DOUGHERTY, DIRECTOR, HOMELESS VETERANS

PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Akaka, and Members of the Committee, I am 

pleased to be here today to discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs’ programs 

and services for homeless veterans. I am also pleased to be accompanied by Mr. 

Paul Smits, Associate Chief Consultant for Homeless and Residential Treatment 

Programs and Mr. Roger Casey, Program Manager, Homeless Grant and Per Diem 

Program. Thank you for inviting us to testify today. 

Homelessness for any person tugs at our conscience; however, for those who have 

honorably served our nation in the military, homelessness should be inconceivable. 

VA’s commitment is, and remains, ending chronic homelessness among veterans. To 

meet that goal, VA has made, and continues to create, hundreds of opportunities 

to bring together those veterans in need of assistance with the wide range of services and treatment VA provides. 

As the largest provider of direct services to homeless people in the nation, VA provides health care and services to more than 100,000 homeless veterans each year. 

We do not wait for homeless veterans to contact us. Instead, we reach out and engaging them in shelters and in soup kitchens, on the streets and under bridges—

to connect homeless veterans to a full complement of VA health care and benefits, 

including compensation and pension, vocational rehabilitation, loan guaranty and 

42

education services. Approximately 40 percent of the homeless veterans we serve 

each year receive these services because of our outreach efforts. 

We continually work to reach and identify homeless veterans and encourage their 

enrollment in VA’s health care system. Our efforts include timely access to psychiatric evaluations and treatment; engagement in treatment programs for substance use disorders; and, access to quality primary health care. Our performance 

measures help to ensure that homeless veterans receive comprehensive follow-on 

health care. In addition, it is extremely important that veterans are seen by mental 

health specialists and a case manager. 

We also work very closely with our partners at the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service to ensure those homeless veterans who 

want and need employment have an opportunity to become productive tax paying 

members of society. 

With the support of Congress, VA continues to make a significant investment in the provision of services for homeless veterans. We expect to spend $244 million this 

year. The President’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2007 calls for a nearly $20 million increase above that level. Services and treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders are essential both to the already homeless veteran and to 

those at risk for homelessness. VA’s overall mental health funding increased by 

$339 million this year, and we use those funds to enhance access to mental health 

services and substance abuse treatment programs. Increasing access to and availability of mental health and substance abuse treatment services is critical to ensure 

that those veterans who live far away from VA health care facilities are able to live 

successfully in their communities. 

Equally important is the work of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). 

The Compensation and Pension Service is striving to enhance the timely processing 

and payment of benefits claims to homeless veterans. As a result of VBA’s concerted 

efforts, thousands of veterans entitled to benefits receive them. 

As part of VA’s efforts to eradicate homelessness among veterans, we work in a 

variety of venues with multiple partners at the Federal, state, territorial, tribal and 

local government levels. We have hundreds of terrific community nonprofit and 

faith-based service providers working in tandem with our health care and benefits 

staff to improve the lives of tens of thousands of homeless veterans each night. In 

addition we have more than 4,000 beds for homeless veterans available under our 

domiciliary care and other VA operated residential rehabilitation programs. 

We are finalizing a 1-year, follow-up study of 1,350 veterans discharged from VA’s 

residential care programs. Results indicate that we are achieving long-term success 

for the well-being of these veterans, with four out of five veterans who have completed these programs remaining appropriately housed 1 year after discharge. 

Through such effective, innovative and extensive collaboration, VA is able to maximize the opportunities for success. 

We firmly believe that the best strategy to prevent homelessness is early intervention. As the Committee knows, veterans returning from the present conflicts in Iraq 

and Afghanistan have 2-years of eligibility for VA health care at no cost for conditions possibly related to their combat service. We believe that this eligibility policy 

allows our clinical staff to identify additional health problems that may, if left untreated, contribute to future homelessness among those veterans. This policy is the 

best option to treat those in need today and prevent more acute problems later. 

VA’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HOMELESS VETERANS

Four years ago, Congress established the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans—our first formal outside advisors. The Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans has recommended a number of ways to improve services to homeless veterans. 

As you know, the members of this Advisory Committee possess special expertise and 

vast experience serving homeless veterans. We have implemented many of the recommendations made in the Advisory Committee’s first three reports and are working toward implementation of many others. We look forward to the Advisory Committee’s next report, which will be reported to Congress by early summer. 

INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS AND FEDERAL AND LOCAL RELATIONSHIPS

VA is an active partner with the nearly all of Federal departments and agencies 

that provide services to homeless veterans. We participate in a variety of interagency collaborative efforts to assist homeless veterans and continue to actively participate in the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). Secretary 

Nicholson is the immediate past chair of the ICH, and VA has participated in each 

of ICH’s cabinet-secretary level meetings. During the Secretary’s tenure as chair of 

the ICH, VA hosted regular meetings of the ICH Senior Policy Group. While SecVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
43

retary Nicholson’s term as ICH Chair ended last year, VA continues its participation 

in interagency and collaborative initiatives. As Director of the Homeless Veterans 

Programs, Secretary Nicholson asked me to serve as VA’s representative to the 

Council’s Senior Policy Working Group. These efforts, together with the recommendations of our Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans, have brought the 

level of veteran-involvement in state and local plans to end homelessness to an unprecedented level. 

The ICH has worked closely with VA, and has also encouraged the development 

of state and local plans across the Nation to address both the needs and services 

available to veterans. To date, this is demonstrating positive results as we increasingly see states and local communities include VA employees, state and county veteran service officers, Veteran Service Organization members and veteran specific 

service providers in both the planning and implementation of local strategies to end 

chronic homelessness. 

As part of an ongoing initiative, VA has worked closely over the last 3 years with 

the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) to assist the chronically homeless with housing, 

health care and benefits coordination. Under this initiative, funding was provided 

to eleven communities that developed quality plans to house and provide wraparound services. As the result of our collaboration, nearly 1,500 persons have been 

seen, and nearly 600 persons housed. Thirty percent of those receiving services 

under this initiative are veterans. This effort is based on the premise that housing 

and treating those who are chronically homeless will decrease total costs for health 

care, emergency housing, related social services and justice system costs. VA is 

pleased to be a partner in this effort. We are also pleased to lead the effort to evaluate this project and look forward to sharing our findings with you when they become 

available. 

Local communities are our front lines—the places where we meet and provide 

services to veterans. For that reason, VA has a long tradition of engaging and working with local providers in their communities. VA collaborates annually with communities across the United States in Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness 

Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups) for veterans. At regularly 

scheduled CHALENG meetings, VA works with faith-based and community homeless service providers; representatives of Federal, state, territorial, tribal and local 

governments; and homeless veterans, themselves. Our meetings and our annual reports are designed to identify met and unmet needs for homeless veterans, aid in 

the community effort to aid the homeless, and to develop local action plans to address those identified unmet needs. 

CHALENG is integral in enabling VA medical centers and regional offices to 

strengthen their partnerships with community service providers. This leads to better coordination of VA services as well as the development of innovative, cost-effective strategies to address the needs of homeless veterans at the local level. It shows 

us what is being done effectively and what pressing unmet needs remain. Additionally, this also helps us to establish, as part of local needs, the number of veterans 

who are homeless on any given night. While there are still far too many veterans 

among the homeless, we are making progress, and their numbers are coming down. 

Ten years ago, based upon the best available estimates, there were as many as 

250,000 veterans among the homeless on a given night. Last year we found there 

were less than 200,000. We will soon publish our 2005 report. This year, we estimate the number of homeless veterans on any 1 day will be less than 190,000, 

which represents a decline of nearly 25 percent. This progress demonstrates to us 

that this scourge is not unmanageable and that our collective efforts are realizing 

success. We are confident that our continued efforts will achieve our goal of ending 

chronic homelessness among veterans. 

VA INVOLVEMENT IN STAND-DOWNS

VA’s involvement in stand-downs is another avenue by which VA continues its collaborative outreach at the local level through coordination of our programs with 

other departments, agencies, and private sector programs. Our calendar year 2005 

report is not yet complete, but we can know from our 2004 report, in addition to 

our decade-long effort to capture data, that last year VA joined in approximately 

100 stand-down events in most states and the District of Columbia. In calendar year 

2004, VA, along with hundreds of veteran service organization representatives, community homeless service providers, state and local government offices, faith-based 

organizations, and health and social service providers, provided assistance to more 

than 19,000 veterans. Of particular note is an increase in the number of women veterans, and in the percentage of veterans who are women who attended these events. 

44

The latest information shows that more than 3,000 spouses, overwhelmingly women, 

and more than 1,600 children attended these events. More than 3,000 more veterans 

and family members attended these outreach events in 2004 than in 2003. More 

than 150,000 volunteers and VA employees participated in these events, aiding 

more than 200,000 veterans and family members. 

HOMELESS PROVIDERS GRANT AND PER DIEM PROGRAM

VA’s largest program involving local communities remains our Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. As you are aware, this highly successful program allows VA to provide grants to state and local governments, and faith-based 

and other nonprofit organizations in developing supportive transitional housing programs and supportive service centers for homeless veterans. These organizations 

may also use VA funds to purchase vans to conduct outreach and provide transportation for homeless veterans to needed health care and employment services. 

Last year, this program achieved one important goal: to authorize funding for at 

least one transitional housing program in each state. We did this in part by targeted 

funding to states that had no or limited veteran-specific transitional housing program. We are continuing to reach out to tribal and territorial areas to ensure increased opportunities for these programs to operate in those locations. Since the program was authorized in 1992, VA has obligated more than $300 million to the program. These funds have helped to develop close to 10,000 transitional housing beds 

(of which 78 percent are operational) and 23 independent service centers and to purchase 180 vans to provide transportation for outreach and connections with services. 

Last fall we offered current ‘‘Per Diem Only’’ service providers an opportunity to 

seek ongoing funding for those programs. As a result of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), last year we were able to offer continued funding to 151 programs 

with more than 3,200 transitional housing beds. This effectively keeps many high 

quality programs in place and offers continuation of services across the country. Per 

Diem Only programs are a significant and cost-effective way for us to get transitional housing services to thousands of veterans each year. 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS

With enactment of Public Law 107–95, VA was authorized to provide grants to 

entities with expertise in preparing grant applications. We have awarded funding 

to two entities that are providing technical assistance to nonprofit community and 

faith-based groups that are interested in seeking VA and other grants relating to 

serving homeless veterans. We have awarded grants to the National Coalition for 

Homeless Veterans (NCHV) and Public Resources to aid us in this effort. We are 

hopeful that this effort, which we are evaluating regularly, is helping to connect veteran specific service providers to other governmental and non-government resources. 

GRANTS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

VA also provides grants to VA health care facilities and existing Grant and Per 

Diem recipients to assist them in serving homeless veterans with special needs 

(women, including women who have care of dependent children, chronically mentally ill, frail elderly and terminally ill). We initiated this program in fiscal year 

2004 and provided special needs funding to 29 organizations totaling $15.7 million. 

Additionally, VA is providing funding to 27 VA collaborative partners in an effort 

to provide enhanced services to these veterans. 

GRANTS TO MEET NATIONAL FIRE AND SAFETY CODES

VA has also awarded grants to existing grantees to assist them in meeting national fire and safety codes. VA has offered funding three times and awarded a total 

of $5.36 million for this program. These grants have been awarded to all existing 

transitional housing that applied for funding. VA Medical Centers’ Fire and Safety 

Engineers have worked closely with existing grant recipients to identify any code 

violations and to estimate the cost of correcting any such deficiencies. We believe 

we have been able to address all requests to meet fire and safety needs. 

RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATION AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS (RRTPS)

VA’s Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program, which was recently renamed as the ‘‘Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program,’’ provides a full range of treatment and rehabilitation services to many homeless veterans. Over the past 17 years, VA has established 34 DCHV programs providing 

1,873 beds. Since 1987, there have been over 71,000 episodes of treatment in the 

DCHV program. VA continues to improve access to the services offered through 

45

these programs. In Fiscal Year 2005, DCHV programs treated 5,394 homeless veterans, while VA funded the development of nine new DCHV programs offering a 

total of 400 beds. Further, in Fiscal Year 2006, VA funded the development of two 

additional DCHV programs totaling 100 beds. In addition to the DCHV program, 

homeless veterans receive treatment and rehabilitation services in the Psychosocial 

Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP). Currently there are 72 

PRRTP programs with a total of 2020 beds. 

STAFFING AT VBA REGIONAL OFFICES

Homeless veterans outreach coordinators (HVOCs) at all VBA regional offices 

work in their communities to identify eligible homeless veterans, advise them of VA 

benefits and services, and assist them with claims. The coordinators also network 

with other VA entities, VSOs, local governments, social service agencies and other 

service providers to inform homeless veterans about other benefits and services 

available to them. In fiscal year 2005, VBA staff assisted homeless veterans in 

34,631 instances. They contacted 4,247 shelters, made 4,803 referrals to community 

agencies, and made 7,416 referrals to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) 

and the DOL Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs (HVRP). 

Since the beginning of fiscal year 2003, regional offices maintain an active record 

of all compensation and pension claims received from homeless veterans. Procedures 

for the special handling and processing of these claims are in place. From fiscal year 

2003 through fiscal year 2005, VBA received 13,833 claims for compensation and 

pension from homeless veterans. Of those claims, 56 percent were for compensation 

and 44 percent were for pension. Of the compensation claims processed, 37 percent 

were granted, with an average disability rating of 44.20 percent. 9.9 percent of 

claimants were rated at 100 percent disabling. Of the total claims denied, 48 percent were due to the veteran’s disability not being service connected. The average 

processing time for all compensation claims of homeless veterans was 151 days. Of 

the pension claims processed, 73 percent were granted. Of the total claims denied, 

21 percent were due to the veteran’s disability not being permanent and total. The 

average processing time for all pension claims of homeless veterans was 102 days. 

MULTIFAMILY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING LOAN GUARANTY PROGRAM

Public Law 105–368 authorized VA to establish a pilot program to guarantee up 

to 15 loans or $100 million, whichever first occurs, for multifamily transitional housing. Since September 2002, Claude Hutchison, Jr., Director of VA’s Office of Asset 

Enterprise Management, has been the lead for the Department in implementing the 

program. Many complex issues, often varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, surround implementation, and VA has worked closely with veteran service organizations, veteran-specific housing providers, faith-based organizations, clinical support 

service programs, VA medical care staff, state, city and county agencies, homeless 

service providers, and finance and housing experts. We are also using consultants 

to assist us with our evaluation of potential sites and providers of housing services. 

VA has issued two final commitments for guaranteed loans for transitional housing projects that would, when completed, provide 285 new beds for homeless veterans. Those projects are: Catholic Charities of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, with 141 

beds; and, Vietnam Veterans of San Diego, San Diego, California, with 144 beds. 

The Catholic Charities’ project is under construction and is expected to open and 

be serving veterans by the end of the year. Vietnam Veterans of San Diego is expected to close on its guaranteed loan by early summer, which leaves funding available for up to thirteen (13) remaining program loans or until the remaining $92.1 

million in program funds have been guaranteed. 

We plan to host three industry days across the country this spring and summer, 

inviting housing and supportive service provider organizations and other governmental and private entities that may be interested in learning how this program 

works. 

COORDINATION OF OUTREACH SERVICES FOR VETERANS AT-RISK OF HOMELESSNESS

VA, together with the Department of Labor (DOL) and with additional assistance 

from the Department of Justice (DOJ), has helped develop demonstration projects 

providing referral and counseling services for veterans who are at risk of homelessness and are currently incarcerated. Currently, VA and DOL have seven sites providing referral and counseling services to eligible veterans at risk of homelessness 

upon their release from penal institutions. While the majority of these demonstration projects work with state prisons, our collaboration includes one demonstration 

project with a Federal Bureau of Prisons institution, and another with a county jail. 

46

Local staff from both the VHA and VBA are aiding veterans at each 

demonstrationsite receive information about available VA benefits and services. 

Our commitment to these demonstrations programs is strong. We believe that 

many of these veterans will, with assistance, return to productive lives. While the 

number of incarcerated veterans is approximately 10–15 percent of the prison population, it is expected that these joint Federal efforts will assist many veterans who 

would otherwise be at risk for homelessness upon their release. Moreover, after 

their release, we are providing a needed continuum of services to these veterans, 

chiefly through the provision of transitional housing made available through the 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program or residential care in VA domiciliary care programs and other places as needed. DOL continues to provide funding 

under its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs (HVRP) for the Incarcerated 

Veterans’ Transition Program (IVTP). VA and DOL are reviewing this program 

carefully and will provide a report on its effectiveness. 

HUD-VETERANS AFFAIRS SUPPORTED HOUSING (HUD–VASH)

VA also recognizes HUD’s long-standing support of the HUD–VASH program. 

This very successful partnership links the provision of VA clinical care with permanent housing in order to assist the recovery of chronically homeless, mentally ill veterans. HUD and VA hope to continue this valuable program, subject to the availability of resources. 

SUMMARY

VA continues to make progress on addressing both prevention of and treatment 

for the homeless. Each year we share with you our annual report to the Congress 

that outlines our activities for homeless veterans. VA is collaborating closely with 

other Federal agencies, state and local governments and community-based organizations to assure that homeless veterans have access to a full range of health care, 

benefits and support services. We still have much to do to end chronic homelessness 

among veterans in America, and we are eager to work with you to meet that challenge. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. BARACK

OBAMA TO PETER H. DOUGHERTY

Question. It has been estimated in some studies that up to 75 percent of homeless 

veterans have mental health or substance abuse problems. We heard about the need 

for comprehensive ‘‘wrap-around’’ services that include mental health assessment 

and treatment. Does the VA make information available about its mental health 

services to grant recipients both inside and outside of the Department? If so, how? 

Answer. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ensures that information is 

made available about its mental health services to grant recipients through the 

Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Liaisons, Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) 

staff, Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education 

and Networking Groups) and its Council of Network Homeless Coordinators. 

Each GPD recipient has a designated Veterans’ Affairs GPD Liaison. The GPD 

Liaison is experienced in working with community based providers, is knowledgeable about the comprehensive needs of homeless veterans, and is well acquainted 

with both community resources and the VA’s Mental Health services. The GPD Liaisons work closely with each grant recipient to ensure the effective coordination of 

care between VA medical care and/mental health services and the GPD recipient. 

The HCHV staff provides outreach, referral and case management services to 

homeless veterans in the community. They are aware of VA healthcare/mental 

health resources and serve as resource persons to VA grant recipients and other 

community agencies about these resources. 

Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and 

Networking Groups) is a VA program designed to enhance the continuum of care 

for homeless veterans provided by the local VA and its surrounding community service agencies. Project CHALENG enhances coordinated services by bringing the VA 

together with community agencies and other Federal, state, and local governments 

who provide services to the homeless to raise awareness of homeless veterans’ needs 

and to plan to meet those needs. During Project CHALENG meetings, the VA and 

the local community can come together to discuss what resources are available, 

identify service gaps and identify opportunities to collaborate to meet the needs of 

homeless veterans. 

47

The VA Council of Network Homeless Coordinators (CNHC) has a representative 

from each of its 21 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN). Each of the 

CNHC members works with the all of the VA homeless programs in each VISN. The 

CNCH members are responsible for VISN wide planning for VA homeless services 

and community development. In addition, the CNCH member is often the initial 

point of contact for community providers requesting information about Veterans 

Health Administration resources, contact persons, and information to about VHA 

Grant and Per Diem funding opportunities.

Chairman CRAIG. Now let me turn to the Assistant Secretary for 

Veterans’ Employment and Training, Chick Ciccolella. Welcome to 

the Committee. 

STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES S. CICCOLELLA, ASSISTANT 

SECRETARY FOR VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING, 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Mr. CICCOLELLA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very 

much. It is a pleasure to be here and thank you very much for 

holding the hearing. I will testify on the Department of Labor’s employment-focused program for homeless veterans called the HVRP, 

or Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. 

This is a targeted nationwide program that focuses on helping 

veterans re-enter the workforce. The funds are awarded competitively through grants to States. Some go to local Workforce Investment Boards. They go to public and private agencies, nonprofit entities, including many community- and faith-based organizations. 

The purpose of the program, of course, is to reintegrate homeless 

veterans into the job place and put them on a path to self-sufficiency. The grantees will provide an array of services using a very 

serious case management approach. They use a very holistic approach and they focus on assessment, they focus on case management, they focus on skills training, and on job search assistance. 

The emphasis is not only on getting a homeless veteran a job, 

but it is on that homeless veteran retaining a job. The grantees 

build partnerships and they build partnerships with Federal, State, 

and local level entities. They are very adept at dealing with the VA 

and the HUD grants, as Michael Blecker on the previous panel testified. They are required to enhance employment training opportunities through their linkages and their networking. 

Now, we also require each of the HVRP grantees to link their 

services to the workforce system, in other words, to link them to 

the veteran employment representative, called the DVOP, the Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialist. We encourage out-stationing of the DVOPs at the HVRP sites, as your staff saw at the 

Maryland Center for Veterans’ Employment and Training last 

week. And for every grantee—there are 84 grantees—they are assigned a DVOP, even if the DVOP is not outstationed. It is a successful program. It is successful because the money is well spent. 

It is well leveraged. The performance of the program proves that. 

For the period that ended June 30, 2005, 8,087 veterans entered 

employment through the grants. It is approximately a 65 percent 

rate. At the 90-day retention level, 90 days after they got their 

jobs, 72 percent of those retained their jobs, and at the 6-month 

level, 57 percent still had their jobs. We place a lot of emphasis on 

90- and 180-day retention rates. We are forming a retention baseline, and the purpose of that is to be sure they get good jobs. 

48

In the next program year, which ends June 30, 2006, we will 

fund 92 grants. Over 16,000 homeless veterans will be served, and 

10,000 will enter employment. We believe this is a model program. 

For a very, very, very small investment, less than $2,000 per participant, the HVRP program successfully puts veterans, homeless 

veterans on a path to self-sufficiency. 

Mr. Chairman, I have put some charts in my written testimony 

which show graphically the performance of HVRP and I would only 

add that the legislation that authorizes the HVRP program is 

under consideration. The Administration supports the extension of 

the authorization for the HVRP program. Thank you very much. 

Chairman CRAIG. Chick, thank you very much for that testimony. It is appreciated. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Ciccolella follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHARLES S. CICCOLELLA, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR

VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: 

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration 

Program (HVRP) and its relationship to other agencies’ programs for homeless veterans. We appreciate the leadership of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

in supporting programs to help our Nation’s veterans. 

The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) has the mission of providing veterans with the resources and services they need to succeed in the 21st 

century workforce by maximizing their employment opportunities, protecting their 

employment rights, and facilitating their smooth transition from the military into 

civilian employment. 

HOMELESSNESS AMONG VETERANS

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), on any given night, less 

than 200,000 veterans are homeless. Veterans, for many reasons, some of which are 

not fully understood, are disproportionately represented in the homeless population. 

In fact, VA estimates that about a third of adult homeless men and nearly a quarter 

of all homeless adults have served in the armed forces. VA has a very large and 

integrated network of programs and services to help address the treatment, rehabilitation and residential needs of our Nation’s homeless veterans. 

IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION

The Department of Labor (DOL) works cooperatively with the VA on many veterans’ issues, including in the specific area of addressing the needs of homeless veterans. We actively support the VA’s substantial assistance programs. I have served 

on the VA’s Advisory Committee for Homeless Veterans for the past 5 years. The 

homeless service programs VA provides through their collaboration with Federal, 

State and Local partners represent a coordinated range of services for homeless veterans. These programs have made a tremendous difference in the lives of many, 

many homeless veterans. 

I cannot overemphasize that last point. When agencies and organizations work together to get the job done, which is what you see happening today with programs 

that address the needs of homeless veterans, we are much more likely to see meaningful results. 

I applaud the leadership of Secretary Chao, Secretary Nicholson and former Secretary Principi and their commitment to ending homelessness among veterans. 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TARGETED ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS VETERANS

DOL’s targeted assistance program for homeless veterans, the employment-focused VETS Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP), is an important, 

successful intervention and prevention initiative for veterans who find themselves 

without a permanent place to call home. 

The intended purpose of the HVRP program is to expedite the reintegration of 

homeless veterans into the labor force. This is accomplished through competitive 

grants nationwide that are awarded to States, local governments, Workforce InvestVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
49

ment Boards, and nonprofits, including community- and faith-based organizations. 

In fiscal year 2005, 84 competitive HVRP programs were funded. 

HVRP grantees working collaboratively with the Departments of Veterans Affairs, 

Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services (HHS), and 

State and community organizations, and nonprofit organizations have a proud history of providing meaningful assistance to our nation’s homeless veterans. HVRP is 

highly successful because (1) it focuses on job training and employment assistance, 

(2) it helps put homeless veterans on the path to self-sufficiency, and (3) it is well 

integrated with the VA’s continuum of care for homeless veterans. 

ADMINISTRATION AND BUDGET OF THE HOMELESS VETERANS’ REINTEGRATION PROGRAM

HVRP is administered on a Program Year (PY) basis. The funds are awarded 

through a competitive grants process. The authorizing legislation for HVRP expires 

December 31, 2006. H.R. 3665, currently under consideration in the Senate, would 

reauthorize HVRP. The Administration supports extending authorization of HVRP 

for an additional 3 years. 

VETS is planning to announce the fiscal year 2006 HVRP Solicitations for Grant 

Applications (SGAs) by the end of this month. We plan to conduct three (3) competitions (Urban, Non-Urban, and an SGA for New Grantees) seeking to serve both 

urban and non-urban homeless veterans. We are conducting a separate competition 

for new grantees in order to increase the geographic coverage of the program nationwide, and to provide an opportunity for applicants who have not previously been 

awarded an HVRP grant. The fiscal year 2006 HVRP appropriation is $21,780,000. This will fund approximately 92 grants. Over 16,000 homeless veterans will be served by these HVRP 

grants and approximately 10,000 homeless veterans will enter employment. The fiscal year 2007 requested budget is $21,838,000. 

HOW THE HVRP GRANTS OPERATE

HVRP grantees provide a ‘‘holistic’’ approach to serving the homeless veteran. 

Proper assessment and case management is essential, as is skills training and job 

search assistance. We place emphasis not only on the veteran getting a job, or ‘‘entering employment,’’ but also on the veteran keeping the job, or ‘‘retaining employment.’’ In Program Year 2004, ending June 30, 2005, the program’s entered employment rate was 65 percent, and the 90-day retained employment rate was 72 percent 

of the 65 percent who enter employment. We are placing emphasis on employment 

retention at the 90 and 180 day mark in order to ensure participants are placed 

into quality jobs that provide better opportunities for achieving self-sufficiency. 

Grant recipients are required to enhance employment and training opportunities 

through linkages, networking, and coordination with community based organizations, as well as Federal, State, and Local agencies, veteran service organizations, 

and America’s workforce investment system. In fact, we require grantees to link 

their services with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists, 

who provide employment-focused case management services in One-Stop Career 

Centers. 

In support of the DVOP involvement, we encourage out-stationing of DVOPs at 

HVRP locations, as your staff observed last week at the Maryland Center for Veteran Employment and Training, or ‘‘MC VET’’ HVRP in Baltimore. In addition, each 

HVRP grantee is assigned a DVOP specialist. Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs) also are available to assist homeless veterans and HVRP 

grantees, providing job development, placement and supportive services. LVERs are 

located in One-Stop Career Centers, and are able to link homeless veterans to OneStop services and their partner programs. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF HVRP PROGRAMS

Two other initiatives, funded under the HVRP program, complement our ongoing 

efforts to address the needs of homeless veterans. 

• Homeless Stand Downs: In fiscal year 2005, HVRP also funded homeless veteran Stand Down activities at 34 locations. Over 5,300 homeless veterans received 

on-the-spot services and referrals for support services. Stand Downs are always collaborative efforts with the VA, HUD, local workforce agencies and other community 

service providers. Most are multi-day events where homeless veterans are provided 

medical treatment, VA benefit eligibility services, and employment-focused case 

management by DVOPs and LVERs. On average, over 150 homeless veterans were 

served at each of these Stand Down events. 

• Incarcerated Veterans’ Transition Program Grants: In accordance with the 

Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001, approximately 

50

$2,000,000 HVRP dollars are used to support seven Incarcerated Veterans’ Reintegration Demonstration (IVTP) programs, which are conducted jointly by DOL 

and the VA. These grants serve transitioning incarcerated veterans and are designed to reintegrate these veterans into society and the workforce, reducing the 

high recidivism rates among former prisoners. 

A RELATED DOL PROGRAM: THE VETERANS’ WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PROGRAM

In addition to the targeted HVRP and IVTP programs, VETS funds competitive 

grants through the Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program (VWIP), authorized 

under Section 168 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Although it does not 

specifically target homeless veterans, VWIP grants focus on assisting veterans with 

overcoming barriers to employment, including recently separated veterans, and are 

extremely valuable for preventing homelessness. VWIP grants emphasize delivery of 

training and facilitation of occupational credentialing, so that successful participants 

are prepared to meet employers’ needs for workers in demand occupations within 

high-growth industries. There are currently 17 VWIP grantees serving 2,500 participants—65 percent of whom are expected to enter into employment. 

SUMMARY

Mr. Chairman, VETS views HVRP as a model program for reintegrating homeless 

veterans into society and the workforce. For a relatively small investment, the 

HVRP program is successfully putting veterans on a path to self-sufficiency and 

ending the cycle of homelessness. 

We have attached several charts that show HVRP funding levels, participation, 

entered employment levels and wages for recent years. 

This concludes my testimony. I will be pleased to respond to your questions.

51


28175.007
52


28175.008
53

Chairman CRAIG. Now, we will turn to Philip Mangano, Executive Director, Interagency Council on Homelessness. Phil, welcome 

to the Committee. 

STATEMENT OF PHILIP F. MANGANO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS 

Mr. MANGANO. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and I am 

very happy to be here representing the United States Interagency 

Council on Homelessness, which brings together 20 Federal agencies to make their resources more available and more accessible on 

the issue of homelessness. 

I appreciate the attention of this Committee in its focus on homeless veterans today, and I do want to thank Michael and Al and 

Tim for their passion, but more importantly, perhaps, for the data 

that they brought to this table that indicate that the investments 

that are being made by the Federal Government, by this Administration, are working out there in the field, both in reducing the 

number of homeless veterans on the streets of our country and 

working to improve their lives. 

I can assure you that on this issue in recent years, there have 

been no better advocates than the two VA Secretaries that have 

chaired the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 

now currently Secretary Nicholson, who is the most recent Chair 

of the Council, and his predecessor, Secretary Principi. In our 

Council meetings, in their professional and personal commitments, 

they have been true to the mission, investing new resources, 

prioritizing the population, and embracing new strategies. And Assistant Secretary Ciccolella and Pete Dougherty have been constant 

supporters and prodders of the Council in terms of our focus on the 

issue of homeless veterans, so I appreciate their being here, as 

well. 

I also want to introduce John O’Brien, who is on the staff of the 

Interagency Council. He is one of our Regional Coordinators. He is 

a Vietnam veteran. He has 15 years of experience in homeless programs and he is our point person on veterans issues, so I am very 

happy that John is here with us today. He just convened, in fact, 

in San Diego, an Innovators’ Conference that brought innovators 

from around the country together who are doing exceptional programs on the issue of homeless veterans. We convened about 20 cities to hear what was going on so that they could go back and replicate those innovations. 

In my 25 years of working on this issue of homelessness, whether 

volunteering on a bread line, creating shelter and meal and referral 

programs, coordinating a city’s response, working with the faith 

community, or directing a Statewide advocacy organization in my 

native Massachusetts, I have seen directly the disgrace of those 

who have served our country, languishing on our streets, hidden in 

encampments and long term in our shelters. I can assure you that 

it is a disgrace that cries out for remedy. 

Shortly after my appointment to the Council, I went to Los Angeles to visit the homeless problem there, which is the worst in the 

country. I visited Skid Row. I left the car, and I went directly to 

a group of 6 people who were standing there, part of the 4,500 people who live on the streets of Skid Row, literally within the shadow 

54

of downtown Los Angeles. In the conversation I had with those 6 

people, I discovered that 5 of them were living in tents, on cardboard boxes, in sleeping bags, and 5 of those 6 whom I first encountered were homeless veterans. 

I can assure you that the commitment of the Council is to work 

with the member Federal agencies, States, cities, counties, the 

faith community, nonprofits, and businesses to remedy chronic 

homelessness in our country, to respond to the request that those 

veterans made, all of whom wanted their homelessness ended, to 

keep faith with those veterans. 

The commitment of the Council is also to put into action the 

President’s Management Agenda to ensure that the investments 

that the Federal Government makes are research-driven, performance-based, and results-oriented, to put that agenda to work for 

homeless people, to invest in the reductions that Pete just talked 

about and Tim alluded to earlier. That is what the Federal agencies are doing individually and collectively. 

Pete testified as to what the VA is doing, and I want to mention 

that the VA targets more resources to homeless people than any 

other Federal agency, their Grant and Per Diem Program, with 80 

percent who go into that program moving on to permanent housing, 

ending the homelessness of homeless veterans, the targeting of 

mental health and substance abuse resources that is going on, and 

I want to affirm the importance of the Advisory Committee the VA 

has convened. That inductive input for planning, as we heard from 

the previous panel, is so important in terms of their focus on housing and services. 

I also want to commend the VA for their collaborative spirit. In 

every effort that we have made to collaborate among Federal agencies, the VA’s only response has been, ‘‘yes,’’ whether it has been 

in the Chronic Initiative that we did in Policy Academies that we 

sponsored, or in the First Step initiative. In every regard, their intent is to help. Obviously, the Department of Labor, in terms of the 

testimony just given by Assistant Secretary Ciccolella, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program is getting exceptional results 

around the country. That statistic that he gave of 10,000 veterans 

entering employment, that is outstanding, as well as the support 

that the Department of Labor has given to Stand-Downs all across 

our country. 

But these aren’t the only Federal agencies who are doing the job. 

HUD, in terms of the HUD–VASH program, which is housing 

homeless veterans, and HUD’s near doubling of resources in their 

Homeless Assistant Grants just this year targeted to homeless veterans. 

HHS is doing their role, as well, in terms of the Chronic Initiative, which has housed a number of chronic homeless people 

around our country, 30 percent of them being homeless veterans, 

and even today, SAMHSA from HHS is sponsoring a conference focused on returning veterans. 

SSA is also involved in the partnership at the Federal level 

through their initiatives that are focused on increasing enrollment 

in terms of SSI; and there’s FEMA’s support of Stand-Downs and 

Justice’s partnering in terms of the Re-entry Initiative. 

55

Specifically, I also want to mention the Council’s work to add 

value to what is going on. The Council has been working to create 

a national partnership across our country that begins with the 20 

Federal agencies in Washington, but what we have come to realize 

is that no one level of government can get this job done alone, so 

we have been partnering with Governors in States and territories. 

There are now 53 Governors of States and territories who are 

partnered through State Interagency Councils on Homelessness 

with us in the effort to end chronic homelessness, but we need 

every level. 

So counties and cities, through their mayors and county executives—now 211 counties and cities—are partnered in the national 

partnership to get the job done for chronic homelessness——

Chairman CRAIG. I am going to have to ask you to wrap up. 

Mr. MANGANO. Sure. I am happy to do that. I think the effort 

that is being made in that national partnership and among Federal 

agencies, it is directed toward outcomes and results, making the 

Federal resources that are being invested by this Administration, 

by the Congress end in results for homeless veterans, to literally 

take them off the streets, out of long-term stays, out of encampments, and to provide housing and the support services necessary 

to end their homelessness. 

So I am happy to be here and I am proud of the work that the 

Federal Government is doing in this effort. 

Chairman CRAIG. Phil, thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Mangano follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF PHILIP F. MANGANO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

Chairman Craig, Ranking Member Akaka, and Distinguished Members of the 

Committee: 

I appreciate the opportunity to present testimony today on the work of the United 

States Interagency Council on Homelessness and its initiatives to forward the Administration’s goal of ending chronic homelessness in our nation. The Council gives 

special attention in its initiatives to those who have served our nation in uniform, 

and we are committed to preventing and ending homelessness for those who have 

served our country. 

It is my privilege today to be here with Secretary Nicholson of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs, who is the immediate past Chair of the Council. Since the Council was revitalized by President Bush, the Department of Veterans Affairs has not 

only chaired the Council for the first time in its history, but it has done so for the 

longest period of time and with the leadership of two excellent and committed Secretaries, Secretary Nicholson and his predecessor, Secretary Anthony Principi. 

Background and History. The Council is an independent establishment within the 

Federal executive branch composed of twenty Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads. 

The Council’s Cabinet Chair is currently Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. 

As I indicated, the past Chair of the Council is Secretary Nicholson, whose agency 

provided an important year of leadership on the needs of veterans. Over the past 

4 years, chairmanship of the Council has rotated among the Secretaries of Housing 

and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs. Rotating the chair among the members is in accordance with an amendment to the Council’s statute included in the fiscal year 2001 VA/HUD/Independent Agencies Appropriations Act. This rotation has had both substantive and symbolic meaning, reflecting the reality that homelessness has many causes and that solutions to homelessness are not fashioned by any one agency but through collaborations by all. 

The Council was authorized in 1987 under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act but was dormant for nearly 6 years before being revitalized by the Administration in 2002 in accordance with the fiscal year 2001 Appropriations Act. It is 

the mission of the Interagency Council to coordinate the Federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with 

56

every element of the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the Nation 

and forward the Administration’s goal of ending chronic homelessness. To do so, the 

Council has forged an unprecedented national partnership that extends from the 

White House to the streets and includes Federal, State, and local government, advocates, providers, consumers, and faith-based organizations. 

The Council works to improve access to and coordination of Federal investments 

among member departments and agencies; ensure the effectiveness of Federal activities and programs; engage and assist State and local governments, advocates, 

service providers, and customers in creating effective local solutions; and offer technical assistance and evidence-based best practices to partners at every level of government, as well as the private sector. 

Agenda for Results. The Council, in keeping with the President’s Management 

Agenda, encourages activities and initiatives that incorporate research-driven, performance-based, and results-oriented solutions. This includes: • Dissemination of new and innovative approaches such as Housing First, Assertive Community Treatment Teams, and Project Homeless Connect that are proving 

effective at ending chronic homelessness; • Local cost-benefit studies that reveal the costs of homelessness to the community and the cost savings that arise from effective solutions; • Strategies to prevent homelessness for individuals and families before it occurs; 

and, • Access to mainstream resources for the benefit of homeless persons and families. 

Through its work, the Council is seeking to establish a new standard of expectation around the issue of homelessness. That new measure requires that resource investments should do more than just ‘‘manage’’ the problem. We expect those investments to result in visible, measurable, quantifiable change in our communities, on 

our streets and in the lives of homeless people. Since enactment of the McKinney 

Act in 1987, billions of dollars have been spent by the Federal Government and 

other billions have been spent by State and local governments and philanthropy on 

this issue. But the fact is that despite the expenditure of these funds, there have 

continued to be tens of thousands of persons living long term on the streets, in encampments and in our shelters. Veterans are represented disproportionately in this 

population. 

Ending Chronic Homelessness. The Administration has set a new marker on 

homelessness, the goal of working in partnership with States, localities, faith-based 

and community groups, as well as business, to end chronic homelessness. The chronically homeless are the most vulnerable and disabled, those most visible and long 

term on our streets and in shelters. 

We also are now learning through research that they are some of the most expensive people to the public purse. 

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), one-third of adult 

homeless men and nearly one-quarter of all homeless adults have served in the 

armed forces. While fewer than 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given 

night, as many as twice that number may experience homelessness during a year. 

Many other veterans are considered at risk because of poverty, lack of support from 

family and friends, and precarious living conditions in overcrowded or substandard 

housing. 

Ninety-seven percent of homeless veterans are male, and the majority is single. 

Nearly half of all homeless veterans treated in health care programs suffer from 

mental illness, and slightly more than 2 out of 3 have alcohol or drug abuse problems. Thirty-five percent have both psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. 

These VA data clearly show the relationship of the veterans population to those 

experiencing chronic homelessness. 

To meet our expectations of visible, measurable, quantifiable outcomes, our efforts 

are being guided by a management agenda, implemented in partnership across Federal agencies and with other levels of government and with the private sector, faith 

based organizations and homeless people. We are focusing resource investments on 

a strategy made whole that includes not only intervention activities but prevention 

initiatives. Our intent is to identify, create, and invest in the most innovative initiatives that are research and data driven, performance based and results-oriented. 

Cost Analysis. Chronic homelessness is the most visible form of homelessness in 

our country, and is most often the result of individuals’ disabilities. People experiencing chronic homelessness are the people we see in doorways or under bridges day 

after day, year after year. 

Over the last few years, research has shown that those experiencing chronic 

homelessness are in fact a finite group representing 10–20 percent of the adult 

homeless population. However, they consume over 50 percent of all emergency 

57

homeless shelter services and ricochet randomly around the acute side of very expensive primary and behavioral health care systems. As a result, persons experiencing chronic homelessness are some of the most expensive people in communities 

across the country. 

Here are just a few examples of the cost analysis that is emerging in cities as 

they address chronic homelessness. 

• In Asheville, Buncombe County, NC, 10-year planners analyzed the service use 

of 37 homeless men and women over a period of 3 years and found that these individuals cost the City and County more than $800,000 each year including 1,271 arrests generating $278,000 in jail costs, 280 episodes of EMS services for a cost of 

$120,000, and hospitalization costs of $425,000. 

• The University of California at San Diego followed the service use of 15 chronically homeless people for 18 months. They reported 300 emergency room visits, 

taken by ambulance and accompanied by EMTs, using multiple day stays and they 

quantified behavioral health costs (substance abuse and mental health) and law enforcement. Total cost: $3 million over 18 months or an average of $200,000 per person. 

• The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program tracked 119 persons experiencing chronic homelessness over 5 years and discovered that they had over 18,000 

emergency room visits at an average cost of $1,000 per visit. 

• Two concerned Reno police officers tracked the services use of just two homeless 

persons they repeatedly encountered over 1 year. When the officers examined law 

enforcement, emergency room and other hospital costs, they found that each person 

cost over $100,000 a year. 

Investment, Innovation, and Results. Just as research has been helpful in quantifying the costs associated with chronic homelessness, so too has the research been 

helpful in identifying interventions that are effective in ending chronic homelessness. Research shows that permanent supportive housing strategies in tandem with 

multidisciplinary, clinically based engagement strategies, and including employment 

counseling and job placement as appropriate, can be successful in sustaining tenancies for this population. These models of housing, which involve a rich array of supportive services, are effective in moving those experiencing chronic homelessness off 

the streets and out of long term shelter stays into sustainable tenancies and toward 

recovery and self sufficiency. 

That’s the basis of the intervention in a growing number of cities across the country, some of which are now able to report reductions in their population of persons 

experiencing chronic homelessness. The targeted VA homeless programs are a key 

component of the progress out of homelessness we seek for this population. 

The Administration’s goal of ending chronic homelessness is based on learning 

from—and acting on—that research. At the inaugural meeting of the revitalized 

Council, the Secretaries of HUD, HHS, and VA announced an historic joint funding 

initiative, that now totals $55 million, as the first infusion of Federal resources targeted specifically toward the goal of ending chronic homelessness. More than 100 

applications were received from communities across the country, and awards were 

made to 11 community partnerships. 

Along with the Federal funding partners, the Council has continued to monitor 

the results from this investment. To date, the 11 community partnerships have successfully housed over 600 persons. Cumulatively, the men and women housed under 

the Collaborative Initiative represent over 4,300 years of homelessness ended and 

tens of millions of dollars in ad hoc health care, corrections and other community 

costs incurred during their years of homelessness. 

Critically important to the results of this initiative have been the partnerships 

built at every level with the VA to serve more effectively homeless veterans in these 

sites, bringing every level of systems closer together to benefit consumers. The 

HUD/HHS/VA Collaborative Initiative described above is just one of a number of 

true Federal collaborations that demonstrate the continuing and deepening commitment of a wide array of Federal agencies to get the job done: 

• HHS, HUD, DOL, VA, ED, DOJ, USDA, and USICH collaborated in the multiyear initiative that brought state government leaders from 55 States and Territories 

to Policy Academies designed to help State and local policymakers improve access 

to mainstream services for people who are homeless. 

• HUD and DOL have collaborated in an effort to combine employment training 

with housing assistance in the Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment 

and Housing Initiative. 

• DOL and the VA are collaborating to target homeless veterans. 

• HUD, Labor, and the Justice Department are partners in the Administration’s 

Prisoner Re-entry Initiative. 

58

• Through its Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE), the Social Security Administration has funded 41 new projects across the country to increase access to Supplemental Security Income and Social Security disability benefits for persons experiencing chronic homelessness. 

The Administration’s Record of Investment. The additional resources and interagency collaborative efforts, including the President’s fiscal year 07 Budget proposal 

which includes a sixth consecutive year of record proposed funding for targeted 

homeless programs and proposed increases for targeted programs for homeless veterans, are all evidence of the Administration’s commitment to ending chronic homelessness and are an important indicator of the Federal Government’s good faith in 

the intergovernmental partnerships we are developing with Cities and States. 

The Administration’s strategy is built on the recognition that no one Federal 

agency, no one level of government and no one sector of the community can prevent 

and end homelessness alone. That’s why the Council is working to establish an expansive range of partnerships, public and private, between Federal agencies, State 

Houses, City Halls and County Executive offices, downtown associations, Chambers 

of Commerce, faith based and community organizations, the United Way, YMCAs, 

providers and advocates, and homeless people themselves. 

Federal Interagency Collaboration. In addition to the full Council, the Federal 

agencies also collaborate at other levels to achieve the Administration’s goal. 

Senior Policy Group. The Interagency Council has senior policy relationships with 

the Council’s member agencies, convening meetings of a Senior Policy Group of 

agency designees according to the direction set by the Council Chair, and meeting 

with managers of Federal homeless assistance programs. The Senior Policy Group 

provides a regular forum for coordinating policies and programs, collecting data, developing special initiatives, and preparing recommendations for consideration by 

Council members. 

During the last 2 years, and in response to the direction of each of its Chairs, 

the Council has collaborated with a Senior Policy designee of the Chair’s agency to 

convene these meetings. Working in partnership with Peter Dougherty of the VA, 

Senior Policy Group meetings last year have focused on needs of returning service 

members, issues of Federal surplus property, and Federal agency definitions of 

homelessness. Additionally, the Council’s Executive Director has met with intraagency homeless work groups and with the managers of Federal targeted and mainstream homeless assistance programs to coordinate program information and identify opportunities for collaboration. 

Regional Federal Interagency Councils on Homelessness. The Council has also 

worked to establish Regional Federal Interagency Councils in the Federal regions, 

to mirror the partnership and initiatives of the Washington Council. The key Federal representative of the agency currently acting as Chair of the Washington Council also leads the Regional Councils. Thus, in 2004–2005, regional VA officials provided leadership of their Federal partners in the field. Key activities for the Regional Councils include: 

1. Initiating regular meetings of Federal representatives to focus on developing relationships and advancing a focus on homelessness and chronic homelessness in the 

region. Regional Council members have taken part in public events to make Federal 

collaboration more visible regionally and forward the commitment of the Administration to end chronic homelessness. 

2. Using regular meetings and special collaborative projects to increase regional 

knowledge of Federal homelessness polices and initiatives and translate research, 

innovative developments, and resource opportunities to the field. 

3. Developing regional senior staff working committees to support the Regional 

Council’s efforts and to coordinate working committees of the larger Regional Council membership focused on specific topics and tasks, including hosting presentations 

by Federal regional representatives to orient fellow representatives to specific agency strategies, initiatives, and collaborations. 

Intergovernmental Collaboration. As part of the Council’s strategy to establish 

non-partisan, intergovernmental partnerships to end chronic homelessness, specific 

initiatives have been fostered with State and local governments. 

State Interagency Councils on Homelessness. To date, Governors of 53 States and 

Territories have taken steps to create State Interagency Councils on Homelessness 

that mirror the partnership of the Federal Council. Under the leadership of Governors, States from Hawaii to Minnesota to North Carolina are developing State 

business plans, designating State policy point persons focused on homelessness, and 

producing new partnerships and results. 

The State Interagency Councils mirror the work of our Council by providing a formal framework for State secretariats and agencies to examine resource allocations 

and ensure better coordination of State resources and Federal block grant funding 

59

in their States for the benefit of homeless people. The creation of these State Interagency Councils builds on the investment by Federal agencies in the series of Policy 

Academies that were offered to States from 2001–2005 to improve the access of 

homeless people to mainstream resources. 

The Council’s Regional coordinators and staff have provided technical assistance 

to facilitate the creation of these State Interagency Councils, the identification of 

their membership, and their work in developing State plans. This technical assistance has included mentoring and peer models as well as producing and distributing 

a Step-by-Step Guide to Developing a State Interagency Council on Homelessness. 

In fiscal year 2005, the Council convened a series of five regional colloquies for 

State government policymakers, reaching leaders from 41 States with a faculty of 

experts on data and research, treatment programs, housing finance and development, and veterans services. Innovative programs with results—whether Washington State’s initiative focused on incarcerated veterans or South Carolina’s data 

warehouse—were the focus. 

Jurisdictional 10-Year Plans. In addition to the Council’s work in helping to foster 

State Interagency Councils on homelessness, we recognize that communities are on 

the frontlines of homelessness, and we are working with Mayors and County Executives to develop performance-based, results-oriented 10-year plans to end chronic 

homelessness. The Council has worked to help ensure coordination between a jurisdiction’s 10-year plan and other plans in the community, including HUD’s ‘‘Continuum of Care’’ plan. 

Over 210 Mayors and County Executives have committed to 10-Year Plans to End 

Chronic Homelessness. The Council provides technical assistance to States and localities in the development of these initiatives including the expeditious dissemination of innovative best practices that are results-oriented. They are supported in 

their efforts by two Council technical assistance tools, a Step-by-Step Guide to Developing 10-Year Plans, and the more recent innovation-focused Good to Better to 

Great. 

These Mayors and County Executives are working with the Council, with their 

State officials, with their Chambers of Commerce and other downtown associations, 

with their faith based and community organizations, with providers and advocates, 

and with homeless people to create business plans that quantify the problem, focus 

resources on permanent solutions that are evidence-based, and track results. With 

technical assistance from the Council, the ‘‘legitimate larceny’’ of innovative ideas 

is seeding the best outcome oriented plans from coast to coast. 

Moreover, through these local planning processes, the private sector is being reengaged, for example, in fifteen City and County planning processes in North Carolina, where the United Way is a partner to many of these initiatives; in Reno and 

Las Vegas, where City and State resources are being targeted to the effort; and in 

Denver where the faith community is stepping up to help. New resources from business and philanthropy are being invested in these plans. Nowhere is that more tangible than in Atlanta where Mayor Shirley Franklin’s plan has attracted $20 million 

from private philanthropy in the past year and a half. 

This jurisdictionally based 10-year planning effort has been endorsed by the U.S. 

Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of 

Counties, the International Downtown Association, the United Way, and national 

homeless advocacy groups, all of whom have passed resolutions or offered direct assistance in support of the goal of ending chronic homelessness and encouraging communities to develop 10-year plans. 

Just 1 year ago, a Covenant of Mayoral Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness, shaped with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and supported by the Council to 

assist local plan implementation, was adopted during the Hunger and Homelessness 

Task Force meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, led by Nashville Mayor Bill 

Purcell and then Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate. Mayors who signed the Covenant—67 in all—committed to collaborating with each other on an ongoing basis 

to exchange data to better quantify the number of chronically homeless persons, 

share best practices, try innovative solutions, and track their progress. Mayors representing communities as large as Philadelphia, San Diego, and Dallas and as small 

as Henderson, North Carolina (population: 17,000) are demonstrating that chronic 

homelessness is not solely an issue in a few urban areas. 

Addressing the Needs of Veterans. These Covenant Mayors gave a special priority 

to addressing the needs of veterans, and the Council recognizes that the needs of 

homeless veterans must be given special attention and consideration in the development of State Interagency Councils on Homelessness and in the development and 

implementation of jurisdictional 10–year plans. Best practice in the convening of 

planning partnerships and the development of jurisdictional plans will ensure early 

inclusion of partners who address the needs of homeless veterans, the development 

60

of jurisdictional data on their needs, and the design of partnerships and investments 

that prevent and end their homelessness. 

The Council believes that no State, County, or City jurisdictional 10-year plan to 

end chronic homelessness can be considered complete without directly addressing 

the issues of homeless veterans and, to that end, without the inclusion in jurisdictional planning partnerships of individuals and organizations that can effectively 

represent the needs of homeless veterans and are knowledgeable about the resources and proven strategies to serve them. 

Accessing resources targeted to homeless veterans not only helps end the homelessness of veterans. It also means that homeless veterans will utilize fewer dollars 

not specifically targeted to them, thus maximizing the use of available resources for 

other subpopulations of persons experiencing homelessness. 

Identifying and Replicating Innovation. Just 2 weeks ago, the Council, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation and Common Ground, convened the Mayors’ 

Summit: Preventing and Ending Homelessness among veterans, with representatives from eighteen cities who met for 2 days with a faculty of national experts on 

the issues related to preventing and ending homelessness among veterans. We were 

joined there by William McLemore, the VA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs who represented Secretary Nicholson and gave the cities his support in their focus on veterans. 

The Summit’s emphasis was best practices that engage homeless veterans—including peer-to-peer programs and mobile services—and innovative housing models, 

the outcome of which is a stable tenancy in permanent supportive housing. The special needs of incarcerated veterans and women veterans were addressed, as were 

programs and services that effectively engage returning veterans to identify those 

with PTSD and other risk issues that could ultimately lead to homelessness. All of 

this effort was with the intent of identifying and ending homelessness for veterans 

in the cities present and preventing future homelessness for returning service members. 

Intercommunity Collaboration. To carry out the strategy of intergovernmental and 

inter-sector partnership, the Council has developed community partnerships with 

the National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of 

Cities, National Association of Counties, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, International Downtown Association, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Additionally, the Council regularly convenes 

State and local officials, communicates with national and local provider and advocacy organizations, and communicates directly with homeless people to foster consumer-centric solutions. 

Technical Assistance and Support. To administer and facilitate the Council’s mission at the local and regional level, the Council has Regional Coordinators throughout the country through partnership with HUD. Each of the Coordinators is responsible for working with Federal partners and State and local governments, homeless 

advocates, providers, and consumers to encourage and coordinate their collective efforts to end chronic homelessness. The Coordinators facilitate the creation of Regional Federal Interagency Councils and State Interagency Councils, as well as jurisdictional 10-year plans. 

As part of the planning effort, the Council’s Regional Coordinators in FY 03–04 

convened ten regional technical assistance focus groups for City and County administrators from over 200 jurisdictions to learn from expert faculty representing Cities 

already underway with their plans, innovative practitioners around the country, and 

key stakeholders. 

I am pleased to report that our efforts to establish intergovernmental partnerships to end chronic homelessness and reduce the incidence of all homelessness have 

been welcomed by Governors, Mayors, and County Executives across the country 

who have committed to the creation of State Interagency Councils on Homelessness 

and to 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness. 

The Council is encouraging the use of the ‘‘Killer Bs’’ in the 10 year planning 

process—a business plan that is created around a management agenda that establishes baselines to quantify the problem, benchmarks to remedy and is attentive to 

budget. 

Partnering to Prevent and End Chronic Homelessness for Veterans. To extend the 

partnerships described above and achieve results for veterans experiencing or atrisk of homelessness, the Council works in a variety of ways that I will describe 

briefly. 

The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. Although not an ex 

officio member of the Advisory Committee under statute, the Council actively collaborates with the VA Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. In 

2004, the Council named an official liaison, John O’Brien, for the Advisory ComVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:01 Jan 04, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\RD41451\DOCS\28175.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA
61

mittee from among its Regional Coordinators in order to provide consistent and expert support to the Committee on Council issues. Mr. O’Brien served in the Navy 

and is a Vietnam veteran; his work in the New England States to create State 

Councils and 10-year plans has been exemplary. His responsibility includes attending the Advisory Committee meetings, reporting to the Advisory Committee on the 

progress and outcomes on prior recommendations for action from the Advisory Committee, as well as other activities and initiatives on the part of the Council. 

Mr. O’Brien also reports to the Council on additional recommendations and follow 

up requested by the Advisory Committee and works with Regional Coordinators to 

develop and deliver to the field any needed information that will advance veterans 

issues in City and State partnerships. These recommendations and follow up become 

part of the basis of ongoing reporting back to the Advisory Committee. Current reporting includes identifying: • States that have a veteran’s representative on their State Interagency Councils 

on homelessness • State and local 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness that are completed 

and identify specific strategies and resources that will prevent and end homelessness among veterans • Local jurisdictional 10-year planning committees that have a veteran’s representative who can insure the inclusion of the needs and interests of homeless veterans in the 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness • Council staff site visits to VA Medical Centers that lead to a better understanding of the resources available from the VAMC and provide information to the 

VAMC staff on current Council initiatives, innovations, and best practices identified 

that are effective in helping prevent and end homelessness among veterans. 

The Council and the Advisory Committee have also identified collaborative initiatives designed to identify opportunities for the Council and the Advisory Committee 

to enhance their respective efforts to prevent homelessness and end homelessness 

among veterans. These initiatives have included the development and distribution 

of the document, Homeless Veterans: Representing the Needs and Interests of 

Homeless Veterans in State, County, and City 10–Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness, a document that identifies the need for a veterans representative in planning bodies and was jointly developed by the Council, VA, and the Advisory Committee. 

Technical Assistance to States and Local Jurisdictions. Council Regional Coordinators are located in seven regions of the country and are responsible for providing 

support and technical assistance to States and local jurisdictions as they plan and 

implement plans to end chronic homelessness. It is the responsibility of Regional 

Coordinators to become familiar and build relationships with VA representatives 

and resources in their region to better insure the needs and interests of homeless 

veterans are effectively identified in 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness, to 

insure specific strategies are developed to help prevent and end homelessness 

among veterans, and to identify the resources available to homeless veterans at the 

Federal, State, and local level. 

Communications and Information. Shortly after its revitalization, the Council established a central Federal Web page on homelessness (www.usich.gov), creating a 

one-stop information source that links to all twenty Council member web sites and 

their homelessness information resources. The Council site provides news of State 

Interagency Council developments, 10-Year Plan announcements by Mayors and 

County Executives, and funding announcements by Federal partners. The site offers 

new opportunities for learning about Federal homelessness assistance programs, including VA programs, and disseminates information on homeless assistance and 

other funding opportunities for State and local government agencies and faithbased, community, and nonprofit organizations. 

In fiscal year 2004, the Council established a weekly e-newsletter that is now distributed by email to over 8000 key State, City, and County officials, homeless coordinators, Federal grantees, program directors, faith-based, community, and nonprofit 

organizations, business and philanthropic decisionmakers, and other partners. The 

cost effective electronic e-newsletter helps to direct readers to the Council’s web site 

and features timely stories on Council member agencies, Federal and other funding 

resources, and State and local government initiatives. Interested individuals can 

subscribe on line using the Council’s web site. 

The Continuing Work of the Council. The Council has encouraged an emerging 

Federal strategy based on the policy objectives described above, and based on its 

statutory activities of Federal homeless program review, governmental and private 

programs evaluation, information distribution, and provision of technical assistance. 

Guided by a management agenda that incorporates a broad spectrum of partnerships, cost benefit analysis, outcome measurement data, sharing of evidence based 

62

practices, performance based investments, strengthened prevention, results oriented 

interventions, and targeted resource investments, the partnerships fostered by the 

Council’s activities are providing a blend of Federal, State, County, City, and private 

sector resources to accomplish the mission. 

Our work together in the Council is to reduce and end chronic homelessness. 

Through a management agenda that prioritizes research, performance, and results, 

and through interagency, intergovernmental, and intercommunity partnerships and 

investments, ending chronic homelessness is an achievable goal.

Chairman CRAIG. To all of you panelists, thank you. 

The record is going to remain open so that we can ask questions 

of you. I hope you don’t feel as sandwiched this morning as I feel, 

because this is an issue the Committee is extremely interested in, 

reflective of your interests and the commitment and the progress 

that is being made out there. We want to assure that continues 

and that we address this issue of homeless veterans. 

Again, thank you very much. I apologize for the character of the 

environment we are in, but that is where we are today. 

The Committee will stand adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:45 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

(63)

A P P E N D I X 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BURR, U.S. SENATOR

FROM NORTH CAROLINA

I thank the Chairman and the Ranking Member for scheduling this hearing on 

the important issue of homelessness among veterans. 

The VA estimates that, on any given night, as many as 200,000 veterans are 

homeless. We also know that 45 percent of homeless veterans have a mental illness 

and 50 percent have some sort of addiction. 

Last year, I introduced a bill designed to help prevent extremely low-income and 

at-risk veterans from becoming homeless—to actually help keep them in their 

homes. 

S. 1991, the Services to Prevent Veterans Homelessness Act, would make grants 

to nonprofits and faith-based organizations to provide services to extremely low-income veterans who are in permanent housing. 

The services provided for in the bill—from vocational counseling and personal financial planning, to health and rehabilitation—are designed to address the root 

causes of homelessness. 

The cost of this bill is $25 million annually—a small sum to help the poorest of 

our veterans. In North Carolina alone, over 43,000 veterans live below the poverty 

line. This bill would allow the VA to partner with nonprofits in order to help these 

poor veterans escape the root causes of homelessness. 

I urge the Committee to consider whether we are doing enough on this issue and 

I invite my colleagues to study this bill and become cosponsors. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SANDRA A. MILLER, CHAIR, VIETNAM VETERANS OF

AMERICA, HOMELESS VETERANS TASK FORCE

Mr. Chairman, and Members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, my name 

is Sandra A. Miller. I served as a Senior Enlisted Woman in the U.S. Navy from 

1975 until 1981 and am currently Chair of Vietnam Veterans of America’s Task 

Force on Homeless Veterans. I work daily with homeless veterans as Program Coordinator of a ninety-five bed transitional residence, one of the many programs provided by The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center to an exclusive veteran population for over twenty-five years. 

On behalf of VVA, I thank you and your colleagues for this opportunity to submit 

testimony sharing our views on the status of homeless assistance programs for veterans funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

VA HOMELESS GRANT AND PER DIEM PROGRAM

The VA Homeless Grant and Per Diem Program (HGPD) has been in existence 

since 1994. Since then, thousands of homeless veterans have availed themselves of 

the programs provided by community-based service providers. The need is still 

present. VVA seeks $200 million to be made available in the VA FY’07 budget for 

the VA HGPD Program and funded through FY’2011. 

In some areas of this country, the VA and community-based service providers 

work successfully in a collaborative effort to actively address homelessness among 

veterans. The community-based service providers are able to supply much-needed 

services in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The VA recognizes this and encourages residential and service center programs in areas where homeless veterans 

would most benefit. 

The VA’s HGPD program offers funding in a highly competitive grant round. Because financial resources available to HGPD are limited, the number of grants 

awarded and the dollars granted are restrictive: VVA believes that legislation must 

be enacted to make VA Homeless Grant and Per Diem funding a payment rather 

64

than a reimbursement of expenses. This is an important change that will assist 

community-based organizations to deliver services in a financially effective and resourceful manner, allowing for an efficient method to cover discretionary expenses 

related to affiliated program functions within the nonprofit agency. 

HGPD PER DIEM ONLY GRANTS

Another component of the HGPD program is the award of Per Diem Only (PDO) 

grants. These grants do not contain any ‘‘bricks and mortar’’ dollars. The PDO 

grants must be renewed on a regular basis (currently, every 3 years). VVA applauds 

the efforts of the VA in the readdress of the renewal process for PDO programs, allowing them to renew without competition with new grant requests. This permits 

an existing program to stand proud on its merits, achievements, and positive outcomes. 

SHARED LEASE AGREEMENTS

Some of the HGPD recipient programs have entered into Shared Lease Agreements with local VA Medical Centers, utilizing dormant, unoccupied space. The nonprofit agency for which I work has taken advantage of this opportunity, a cooperative venture with the Coatesville VA Medical Center. We have a long-standing and 

strong working relationship with its leadership and staff. Additionally, we have received continued support from VISN 4. 

The strength of the VA-nonprofit relationship is unique to each medical center 

and agency. Each must have a clear understanding of the services and assistance 

they can lend to each other to enhance local homeless veteran programs. VVA recognizes that a strong collaboration between the VA and the nonprofit brings greater 

resources to address issues faced by homeless veterans in local communities. 

The issue of shared lease agreements, however, does require attention. There is 

no uniform policy in the contractual VA Memorandums of Agreement leasing fees 

that community-based service providers pay for use of vacant VA spaces. The 

amounts range across a wide spectrum. This is an inequitable procedure and requires immediate redress. There needs to be a standard, set calculation, with builtin geographic considerations, on the amounts community-based service providers 

pay for usage of otherwise vacant or unused facilities. This policy must also be driven by considerations beyond cost: the mission must be calculated into the equation. 

For many of the community-based service providers who are small nonprofit agencies, a uniform calculation would provide additional funds to be utilized in the direct 

provision of services to homeless veterans. As determined by the VA’s own calculations for Per Diem eligibility, nonprofits can only obtain Per Diem equal to, but not 

in excess of, the cost of the program. Nonprofits don’t get rich off VA Per Diem dollars. 

With this said, I will again reiterate that Per Diem funding should be a payment 

rather than a reimbursement. Considering the minimal daily amount of money provided to assist veterans in a residential program and the limited budget provided 

to VA for HGPD, the cost of program audits could be saved and the accounting process stream-lined. At the very least VVA believes that the residential fees paid by 

veterans in these programs should not be subtracted from the overall cost of the 

program in determining the amount of Per Diem for which the agency is eligible. 

This current process makes it difficult to justify what little Per Diem is available 

to the agency. 

PROGRAMS FOR HOMELESS WOMEN VETERANS AND CHILDREN

It is a national scandal that so many men—and, increasingly, women—who have 

served our nation do not have a roof over their head, a place to call home. Although 

there are many reasons that have caused them to become homeless, they deserve 

our best efforts to help them salvage their lives. 

VVA commends the VA for its fiscal year 2000 initiative specifically targeting 

homeless women veterans, with the creation of twelve pilot programs located in 

VA’s across the country. These pilot programs have reached initial completion and 

the VA North East Program Evaluation Center is analyzing the outcome data. 

While we realize continuance of these programs is heavily weighted by program outcomes, we urge the VA—and specifically the VISN Directors—to continue funding 

and staffing these women veteran-specific homeless programs. 

The profound significance of these pilot programs, as seen in the lives of the 

homeless women who are participants, begs serious consideration. Because VA 

homeless domiciliaries are primarily utilized by male veterans, women find it difficult to acclimate themselves to the male-dominated residential structure, not only 

65

in light of their small representation in the population, but also because of past personal histories which include a significant occurrence of sexual abuse and trauma. 

Over the past ten to fifteen years the VA has made great advancements in the 

treatment, care and benefits for women veterans. One does wonder if they are prepared for the numbers yet to come. However, when we address the issue of women 

in the homeless domiciliaries, we must not overlook the aspect of safety and security. VVA believes women veterans require segregated residential space. We believe 

this will also enhance the therapeutic setting. 

With so few VA homeless women residential programs, VVA maintains there 

should be a stronger emphasis on establishing residential programs for homeless 

women veterans. The funding or contract arrangement for them should be considered outside the HGPD program. Community-based partnerships are especially vital 

when we consider the number of dependent of children who factor into this equation. 

The VA ‘‘Special Needs’’ Grants have been a recent investment placing direct 

funding to community programs that provide residence to ‘‘special’’ populations, one 

of which is women. This funding must not be lost. It is vital when dealing with 

homeless populations whose demand for care can be so much more costly. 

VA HOMELESS DOMICILIARY PROGRAMS

Domiciliary programs located within various medical centers throughout the VA 

system have proven costly. As stand-alone programs, many do not display a high 

rate of long-term success. During this time of fiscal restraint, programs assisting 

homeless veterans need to show a cost/benefit ratio in order to survive. Due to the 

Federal pay scales and other indirect cost factors, VA Homeless Domiciliary programs generally cost twice as much per homeless veteran participant (often over 

$100 per day per veteran) as those programs of community-based organizations. If 

the operational cost of the VA Homeless Domiciliary program is to be justified, then 

an assurance of veteran success and a diminished rate of recidivism should be expected. This is not always the case and is especially true if the veteran has no 

linked transitional residential placement at discharge. 

A linkage with nonprofit community programs will enhance outcomes in a costeffective manner and openly speak to the belief in the ‘‘continuum of care’’ concept 

embraced by VA. HGPD has increased transitional placement possibilities in a number of areas, but more are desperately needed. 

Where no VA Homeless Veteran Domiciliary exists, VVA urges the VA to form 

an active linkage with community-based organizations for extended homeless veteran transitional services at the conclusion of VA Homeless Domiciliary care. 

HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRATION PROGRAM

VVA urges full funding to the authorized level of $50 million for the Homeless 

Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) administered by the Department of Labor 

(DOL) from FY’07 through FY’2011. This training and employment initiative has 

proven to be cost-effective. Congress should also expand the eligible population for 

HVRP to include veterans at imminent risk of homelessness so that HVRP may 

have both preventative and remedial purposes. Only through re-training can we expect to place many of the homeless veterans in the employment market. Without 

re-training and employment, many of these veterans will not be able to regain a 

sense of self-worth, purpose, and direction. 

HUD–VASH

In 1992, VA joined with HUD to launch the HUD–VASH program. HUD funded 

almost 600 vouchers each (a total of 1,753) for this program. Through the end of 

FY’02, the program had served 4,300 veterans. This successful program was given 

additional HUD–VASH vouchers with the passage of P.L. 107–95, section 12. However, HUD, a very large player in the effort to end homelessness, has not requested 

appropriations for the additional HUD–VASH vouchers. VVA believes this program 

should be extended until 2010 and these vouchers should be included as budget language in HUD’s FY’07, FY’08, FY’09 and FY’10 budgets. 

STUDY OF LOW-INCOME VETERANS’ PERMANENT HOUSING NEEDS

The Federal Government makes a sizable investment in homeownership opportunities for veterans, there is no parallel national rental housing assistance program 

targeted to low-income veterans. Veterans are not well served through existing 

housing assistance programs due to their program designs. Low-income veterans in 

and of themselves are not a priority population for subsidized housing assistance. 

66

And HUD devotes minimal attention to the housing needs of low-income veterans, 

as exemplified by, the long-standing vacancy in the position of special assistant for 

veterans programs within the Office of Community Planning and Development. It 

is imperative that Congress elevate national attention to the housing assistance 

needs of our nation’s low-income veterans. Congress has taken initial steps in this 

regard by including language within the report to accompany the final fiscal year 

2006 military construction and veterans’ affairs appropriations measure requires the 

Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on housing assistance to lowincome veterans. The study is due in spring 2006. But we have heard nothing about 

its progress. VVA urges the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to ensure GAO’s 

timely completion of this required study. 

SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS DEMONSTRATION GRANTS

Our country’s homeless problem is a national disgrace that refuses to fade. Homelessness has varied definitions and many contributing factors. Among these are 

PTSD, a lack of job skills and education, substance abuse, and mental health problems. The homeless require far more than just a home. A comprehensive, individualized assessment and a rehabilitation/treatment program are necessary, utilizing the 

continuum of care concept. Assistance in obtaining economic stability for a successful self-sufficient transition back into the community is vital. Although many need 

help with permanent housing, some require long-term residential care. 

With this in mind, VVA recommends that the annual funding level be increased to $20 million through FY’2011, and to retain language in Section 2061(c)(2) of title 

38 that the funds directed to special needs not be allocated through the VERA funding model. The VA Grant and Per Diem Program provides a cost-effective model 

that could close the critical gap for veterans who are women, those who are frail, 

elderly, terminally ill, or have a chronic mental illness and are not ready, and may 

not become ready, to move from transitional program to self-sufficiency. 

DENTAL CARE

VVA is requesting a revision of the 60-day rule and fully implement the dental 

care program for all eligible veterans in accordance of Section 2062(b) of title 38 

under P.L. 107–95

VBA REGIONAL OFFICE STAFFING

Because the claims for compensation/pension of thousands of homeless veterans 

are in adjudication limbo, VVA believes that these claims should be fast-tracked, 

and that the Veterans Benefits Administration hold managers accountable for developing sufficient training in all areas required under P.L. 107–95. VVA also recommends to better serve our homeless veterans this provision of the law be made 

permanent. 

LOAN GUARANTEE FOR MULTFAMIY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR HOMELESS VETERANS

VVA believes the VA is long overdue in implementing Section 601 of P.L. 105–

368. It has always been our understanding that this program was to provide a housing option for a period longer no than 2 years, the average length of time a homeless 

veteran spends in a traditional transitional living arrangement. The intent, as we 

understand it, is to provide long-term housing options for homeless veterans. 

VVA continues to object to legislation that would move this program from a loan 

program to a grant program and, in the process, change it from mandatory to discretionary funding. This would alter the original intent of the statute, which is to infuse private capital into the effort to remediate the problem. If the sense of Congress is to be met, VVA asks for full funding of P.L. 105–368 and P.L. 107–95. Without full funding, achieving the sense of Congress will not be met, and potentially 

thousands of homeless veterans who are ready to become productive members of 

their community will have an additional burden to overcome. 

‘‘SUPPORTIVE SERVICES ONLY’’ PROGRAMS

VVA realizes that, to a certain extent, the budget drives the ability of the VA to 

fund HGPD programs. Consider these few items: the VA’s limited funding ability; 

the decreasing desire of HUD to fund Supportive Services programs; the HUD disincentives placed on cities to renew McKinney-Vento funded supportive services programs; the impact that lost supportive service programs will have on the local social 

service system. Drop in Centers are one type of programs that utilize homeless 

grants for what is known as ‘‘Supportive Services Only’’ (SSO) funding. HUD funds 

these SSO programs via the local agency’s inclusion on their local City’s priority list 

67

for its annual HUD McKinney-Vento submission. When originally funded the agency 

was required to commit to a twenty year operational program. It is unclear to VVA 

how many SSO programs are effected by this recent trend in the denial of renewals. 

However, in as an example, this year Philadelphia had determined not to renew 

HUD funding for a minimum of twelve ‘‘supportive services only’’ programs previously funded through its continuum of care consolidated plan. SSO programs targeting homeless veterans are included in this evolving funding atmosphere. Our 

question is to what extent are the cities responsible for the continued renewals of 

programs that were previously vital to the local continuum? 

We ask this in light of the twenty-year financial burden of commitment required 

by small nonprofit agencies when they are originally awarded their grants and led 

to believe they are a crucial component and partner to the comprehensive approach 

to the elimination of homelessness. To suggest the nonprofits find alternate funding 

in order to continue and satisfy the twenty-year commitment seems unrealistic in 

light of the very limited grant funding available for such SSO programs. In some 

instances this could ultimately lead to the death of some nonprofit agencies . . . the 

life line of not only the agencies homeless clients, but also to some of the city social 

service agencies that depend on the agency to assist with clients in an already overburdened local service system. 

At a time when the big push is on permanent housing for the homeless, with wrap 

around supportive services, is it logical to eliminate these programs on the community level? In light of this situation and as a logical fit, VVA believes it is time for 

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter this arena. It 

is in fact quite logical. We urge this committee to encourage HHS to work with VA 

in establishing a unique partnership, creating a joint program in an effort to provide 

enhanced opportunities to homeless veterans through a collaborative agency process. 

VVA urges dialog between these two agencies in an effort to reach a viable option 

to the threatening situation that is facing the nonprofits of this country that are 

gravely concerned about their own demise. What a terrible loss this would be to the 

structure of community involvement that has been so encouraged. 

THE INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESS

Community providers across the country had great hopes for the Presidential 

Interagency Council on Homeless (ICH), thinking it would translate to local, on the 

ground, resources . . . down where the rubber hits the road, in the local community 

agencies and programs. They found this not to be the case and this they have found 

very disappointing. They believed it would produce more cooperative Federal agency 

action, not just talk. But even that seems to be falling off. We strongly urge this 

committee to inquire as to why the Senior Working Group of the ICH have not met 

in the recent past, actually in a very long time, and why this group does not meet 

on a regular basis. Homeless providers were led to believe this was an important 

initiative. 

Thank you. 

In closing, VVA recognizes the tremendous strides that have been made by Department of Veterans Affairs in addressing and providing services for homeless veterans. We want to cite Pete Dougherty and his staff for their continued commitment 

to our homeless veterans. We must work together in a bipartisan manner to improve long-term services for our homeless veterans with better planning in areas of 

employment, special need, transitional/permanent housing, dental and childcare programs, if we are to succeed in meeting the President’s goal of ending chronic homelessness within 10 years. 

In conclusion, VVA thanks the Chairman and Members of the Senate Veterans’ 

Affairs Committee for the attention you give to the needs of all our veterans and 

for allowing us to enter this statement for the record.

Æ