I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1714 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Housing 

and Urban Development to establish a grant pilot program to provide 

housing to elderly homeless veterans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 24, 2013 

Mr. PETERS of California (for himself, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 

CA ́RDENAS, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. 

MENG, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. CONYERS, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, and Ms. SINEMA) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary 

of Housing and Urban Development to establish a grant 

pilot program to provide housing to elderly homeless 

veterans. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Shelter Our 

5 Servicemembers Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ELDERLY HOMELESS VETERANS HOUSING GRANT 

2 PILOT PROGRAM. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 

4 Affairs and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop5 ment shall jointly establish a pilot program to award 

6 grants to nonprofit organizations to provide elderly home7 less veterans with non-transitional housing. 

8 (b) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION.— 

9 (1) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The Secre10 taries may award two grants under this section to 

11 nonprofit organizations that provide housing to 

12 homeless veterans or assist homeless veterans to find 

13 housing. 

14 (2) LOCATIONS.—In selecting the nonprofit or15 ganizations under paragraph (1), the Secretaries 

16 shall ensure that such organizations operate in sepa17 rate geographical locations. 

18 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant 

19 under this section, a nonprofit organization shall 

20 submit to the Secretaries an application at such 

21 time, in such manner, and containing such informa22 tion as the Secretaries may require. 

23 (c) NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 

24 (1) NUMBER.—The Secretaries— 

25 (A) may award two grants under this sec26 tion; and 


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1 (B) may not award more than one grant to 

2 a single nonprofit organization. 

3 (2) AMOUNT.—A grant awarded under this sec4 tion may not exceed $25,000,000. 

5 (d) USE OF GRANT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—A nonprofit organization 

7 may use a grant awarded under this section to— 

8 (A) purchase real property within a single 

9 geographical area to be used to provide up to 

10 200 eligible homeless veterans with non-transi11 tional housing; and 

12 (B) refurbish or renovate such property. 

13 (2) ELIGIBLE HOMELESS VETERANS.—A home14 less veteran is eligible for housing provided pursuant 

15 to this section if the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

16 determines that the homeless veteran— 

17 (A) has attained the age of 55; 

18 (B) has— 

19 (i) been continuously homeless for a 

20 year or more; or 

21 (ii) during the last three years, had at 

22 least four separate, distinct, and sustained 

23 periods during which the veteran lived or 

24 resided on the streets, in an emergency 


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1 shelter for homeless persons, or a combina2 tion of both; and 

3 (C) has a condition that limits the vet4 eran’s ability to work or perform activities of 

5 daily living, including conditions related to— 

6 (i) a diagnosable substance abuse dis7 order; 

8 (ii) a serious mental illness; 

9 (iii) a developmental disability; or 

10 (iv) a chronic physical illness or dis11 ability. 

12 (e) CASE MANAGEMENT.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

14 Affairs shall provide case management for elderly 

15 homeless veterans who receive housing assistance 

16 pursuant to this section. The Secretary shall main17 tain a sufficient number of caseworkers to ensure 

18 that the ratio of such homeless veterans to case19 workers does not exceed 25 to 1. 

20 (2) PROVISION.—In carrying out paragraph 

21 (1), the Secretary shall allow the non-profit organi22 zation awarded a grant under this section to provide 

23 the case management under paragraph (1) if the 

24 non-profit organization elects to provide such case 

25 management. 


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1 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

2 on which the pilot grant program terminates pursuant to 

3 subsection (i), the Secretaries shall submit to the Commit4 tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep5 resentatives a report on the pilot grant program that in6 cludes— 

7 (1) the number of veterans served under the 

8 program; 

9 (2) the types of services offered under the pro10 gram to such veterans; 

11 (3) the amount of money spent under the pro12 gram on each such veteran; 

13 (4) a recommendation as to the feasibility and 

14 advisability of continuing the program; and 

15 (5) any other information the Secretaries con16 sider appropriate. 

17 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretaries to carry 

19 out this section $50,000,000. 

20 (h) HOMELESS VETERAN DEFINED.—In this section, 

21 the term ‘‘homeless veteran’’ means a veteran who— 

22 (1) has attained the age of 55; and 

23 (2) is homeless (as that term is defined in sec24 tion 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist25 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302(a))). 


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1 (i) TERMINATION.—The pilot grant program estab2 lished under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date 

3 that is two years after the date on which the Secretaries 

4 award a grant under such subsection. 

Æ 


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