II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 874 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a financial assistance 

program to facilitate the provision of supportive services for very lowincome veteran families in permanent housing, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 14, 2007 

Mr. BURR introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a financial assistance program to facilitate the provision of supportive services for very low-income veteran families in 

permanent housing, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Services to Prevent 

5 Veterans Homelessness Act of 2007’’. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
2 

•S 874 IS

1 SEC. 2. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SUPPORTIVE SERV2 ICES FOR VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN FAMI3 LIES IN PERMANENT HOUSING. 

4 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to fa5 cilitate the provision of supportive services for very low6 income veteran families in permanent housing. 

7 (b) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter V of chapter 20 

9 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add10 ing at the end the following new section: 

11 ‘‘§ 2044. Financial assistance for supportive services 

12 for very low-income veteran families in 

13 permanent housing 

14 ‘‘(a) DISTRIBUTION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

15 (1) The Secretary shall provide financial assistance to eli16 gible entities approved under this section to provide and 

17 coordinate the provision of supportive services described 

18 in subsection (b) for very low-income veteran families oc19 cupying permanent housing. 

20 ‘‘(2) Financial assistance under this section shall con21 sist of per diem payments for each such family for which 

22 an approved eligible entity is providing or coordinating the 

23 provision of supportive services. 

24 ‘‘(3)(A) Subject to the availability of appropriations 

25 provided for such purpose, the Secretary shall provide to 

26 each family for which an approved eligible entity is proVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:41 Mar 15, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S874.IS S874

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
3 

•S 874 IS

1 viding or coordinating the provision of supportive services 

2 per diem payments in the amount of the daily cost of care 

3 estimated by such eligible entity (as adjusted by the Sec4 retary under subparagraph (C)). 

5 ‘‘(B) In no case may the amount of per diem paid 

6 under this paragraph exceed the rate of per diem author7 ized for State homes for domiciliary care under subsection 

8 (a)(1)(A) of section 1741 of this title, as adjusted by the 

9 Secretary under subsection (c) of such section. 

10 ‘‘(C)(i) The Secretary may adjust the daily cost of 

11 care estimated by an eligible entity for purposes of this 

12 paragraph to exclude other sources of income described 

13 in clause (iii) that the eligible entity certifies to be correct. 

14 ‘‘(ii) Each eligible entity shall provide to the Sec15 retary such information with respect to other sources of 

16 income as the Secretary may require to make the adjust17 ment under clause (i). 

18 ‘‘(iii) The other sources of income referred to in 

19 clauses (i) and (ii) are payments to the eligible entity for 

20 furnishing services to homeless veterans under programs 

21 other than under this subchapter, including payments and 

22 grants from other departments and agencies of the Fed23 eral Government, from departments or agencies of State 

24 or local government, and from private entities or organiza25 tions. 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
4 

•S 874 IS

1 ‘‘(4) In providing financial assistance under para2 graph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to entities 

3 providing or coordinating the provision of supportive serv4 ices for very low-income veteran families who are 

5 transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. 

6 ‘‘(5) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent 

7 practicable, financial assistance under this subsection is 

8 equitably distributed across geographic regions, including 

9 rural communities and tribal lands. 

10 ‘‘(6) Each entity receiving financial assistance under 

11 this section to provide supportive services to a very low12 income veteran family shall notify that family that such 

13 services are being paid for, in whole or in part, by the 

14 Department. 

15 ‘‘(7) The Secretary may require entities receiving fi16 nancial assistance under this section to submit a report 

17 to the Secretary that describes the projects carried out 

18 with such financial assistance. 

19 ‘‘(b) SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—The supportive serv20 ices referred to in subsection (a) are the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) Services provided by an eligible entity or 

22 a subcontractor of an eligible entity that address the 

23 needs of very low-income veteran families occupying 

24 permanent housing, including— 

25 ‘‘(A) outreach services; 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
5 

•S 874 IS

1 ‘‘(B) health care services, including diag2 nosis, treatment, and counseling for mental 

3 health and substance abuse disorders and for 

4 post-traumatic stress disorder, if such services 

5 are not readily available through the Depart6 ment medical center serving the geographic 

7 area in which the veteran family is housed; 

8 ‘‘(C) habilitation and rehabilitation serv9 ices; 

10 ‘‘(D) case management services; 

11 ‘‘(E) daily living services; 

12 ‘‘(F) personal financial planning; 

13 ‘‘(G) transportation services; 

14 ‘‘(H) vocational counseling; 

15 ‘‘(I) employment and training; 

16 ‘‘(J) educational services; 

17 ‘‘(K) assistance in obtaining veterans bene18 fits and other public benefits, including health 

19 care provided by the Department; 

20 ‘‘(L) assistance in obtaining income sup21 port; 

22 ‘‘(M) assistance in obtaining health insur23 ance; 

24 ‘‘(N) fiduciary and representative payee 

25 services; 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
6 

•S 874 IS

1 ‘‘(O) legal services to assist the veteran 

2 family with reconsiderations or appeals of vet3 erans and public benefit claim denials and to 

4 resolve outstanding warrants that interfere with 

5 the family’s ability to obtain or retain housing 

6 or supportive services; 

7 ‘‘(P) child care; 

8 ‘‘(Q) housing counseling; 

9 ‘‘(R) other services necessary for maintain10 ing independent living; and 

11 ‘‘(S) coordination of services under this 

12 paragraph. 

13 ‘‘(2) Services described in paragraph (1) that 

14 are delivered to very low-income veteran families 

15 who are homeless and who are scheduled to become 

16 residents of permanent housing within 90 days 

17 pending the location or development of housing suit18 able for permanent housing. 

19 ‘‘(3) Services described in paragraph (1) for 

20 very low-income veteran families who have volun21 tarily chosen to seek other housing after a period of 

22 tenancy in permanent housing, that are provided, for 

23 a period of 90 days after such families exit perma24 nent housing or until such families commence re25 ceipt of other housing services adequate to meet 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
7 

•S 874 IS

1 their current needs, but only to the extent that serv2 ices under this paragraph are designed to support 

3 such families in their choice to transition into hous4 ing that is responsive to their individual needs and 

5 preferences. 

6 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

7 (1) An eligible entity seeking financial assistance under 

8 subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary an application 

9 therefor in such form, in such manner, and containing 

10 such commitments and information as the Secretary deter11 mines to be necessary to carry out this section. 

12 ‘‘(2) Each application submitted by an eligible entity 

13 under paragraph (1) shall contain— 

14 ‘‘(A) a description of the supportive services 

15 proposed to be provided by the eligible entity; 

16 ‘‘(B) a description of the types of very low-in17 come veteran families proposed to be provided such 

18 services; 

19 ‘‘(C) an estimate of the number of very low-in20 come veteran families proposed to be provided such 

21 services; 

22 ‘‘(D) evidence of the experience of the eligible 

23 entity in providing supportive services to very low-in24 come veteran families; and 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
8 

•S 874 IS

1 ‘‘(E) a description of the managerial capacity of 

2 the eligible entity— 

3 ‘‘(i) to coordinate the provision of sup4 portive services with the provision of permanent 

5 housing by the eligible entity or by other orga6 nizations; 

7 ‘‘(ii) to assess continuously the needs of 

8 very low-income veteran families for supportive 

9 services; 

10 ‘‘(iii) to coordinate the provision of sup11 portive services with the services of the Depart12 ment; 

13 ‘‘(iv) to tailor supportive services to the 

14 needs of very low-income veteran families; and 

15 ‘‘(v) to seek continuously new sources of 

16 assistance to ensure the long-term provision of 

17 supportive services to very low-income veteran 

18 families. 

19 ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall establish criteria for the se20 lection of eligible entities to be provided financial assist21 ance under this section. 

22 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) The Secretary 

23 shall provide training and technical assistance to partici24 pating eligible entities regarding the planning, developVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:41 Mar 15, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S874.IS S874

jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
9 

•S 874 IS

1 ment, and provision of supportive services to very low-in2 come veteran families occupying permanent housing. 

3 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may provide the training de4 scribed in paragraph (1) directly or through grants or con5 tracts with appropriate public or nonprofit private entities. 

6 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.—(1) From amounts appropriated to 

7 the Department for Medical Care, there shall be available 

8 to carry out this section amounts as follows: 

9 ‘‘(A) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. 

10 ‘‘(B) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009. 

11 ‘‘(C) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

12 ‘‘(2) Not more than $750,000 may be available under 

13 paragraph (1) in any fiscal year to provide technical as14 sistance under subsection (d). 

15 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 ‘‘(1) The term ‘consumer cooperative’ has the 

17 meaning given such term in section 202 of the 

18 Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q). 

19 ‘‘(2) The term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

20 ‘‘(A) a private nonprofit organization; or 

21 ‘‘(B) a consumer cooperative. 

22 ‘‘(3) The term ‘homeless’ has the meaning 

23 given that term in section 103 of the McKinney24 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302). 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
10 

•S 874 IS

1 ‘‘(4) The term ‘permanent housing’ means com2 munity-based housing without a designated length of 

3 stay. 

4 ‘‘(5) The term ‘private nonprofit organization’ 

5 means any of the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) Any incorporated private institution 

7 or foundation— 

8 ‘‘(i) no part of the net earnings of 

9 which inures to the benefit of any member, 

10 founder, contributor, or individual; 

11 ‘‘(ii) which has a governing board that 

12 is responsible for the operation of the sup13 portive services provided under this sec14 tion; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) which is approved by the Sec16 retary as to financial responsibility; 

17 ‘‘(B) A for-profit limited partnership, the 

18 sole general partner of which is an organization 

19 meeting the requirements of clauses (i), (ii), 

20 and (iii) of subparagraph (A). 

21 ‘‘(C) A corporation wholly owned and con22 trolled by an organization meeting the require23 ments of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subpara24 graph (A). 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
11 

•S 874 IS

1 ‘‘(D) A tribally designated housing entity 

2 (as defined in section 4 of the Native American 

3 Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 

4 of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)). 

5 ‘‘(6)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), 

6 the term ‘very low-income veteran family’ means a 

7 veteran family whose income does not exceed 50 per8 cent of the median income for an area specified by 

9 the Secretary for purposes of this section, as deter10 mined by the Secretary in accordance with this para11 graph. 

12 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall make appropriate ad13 justments to the income requirement under subpara14 graph (A) based on family size. 

15 ‘‘(C) The Secretary may establish an income 

16 ceiling higher or lower than 50 percent of the me17 dian income for an area if the Secretary determines 

18 that such variations are necessary because the area 

19 has unusually high or low construction costs, fair 

20 market rents (as determined under section 8 of the 

21 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

22 1437f)), or family incomes. 

23 ‘‘(7) The term ‘veteran family’ includes a vet24 eran who is a single person and a family in which 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
12 

•S 874 IS

1 the head of household or the spouse of the head of 

2 household is a veteran.’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec4 tions at the beginning of chapter 20 of such title is 

5 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec6 tion 2043 the following new item: 

‘‘2044. Financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran 

families in permanent housing.’’. 

7 (c) STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS OF PERMANENT

8 HOUSING PROGRAM.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal years 2008 and 

10 2009, the Secretary shall conduct a study of the ef11 fectiveness of the permanent housing program under 

12 section 2044 of title 38, United States Code, as 

13 added by subsection (b), in meeting the needs of 

14 very low-income veteran families, as that term is de15 fined in that section. 

16 (2) COMPARISON.—In the study required by 

17 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall compare the re18 sults of the program referred to in that subsection 

19 with other programs of the Department of Veterans 

20 Affairs dedicated to the delivery of housing and serv21 ices to veterans. 

22 (3) CRITERIA.—In making the comparison re23 quired in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall examine 

24 the following: 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
13 

•S 874 IS

1 (A) The satisfaction of veterans targeted 

2 by the programs described in paragraph (2). 

3 (B) The health status of such veterans. 

4 (C) The housing provided such veterans 

5 under such programs. 

6 (D) The degree to which such veterans are 

7 encouraged to productive activity by such pro8 grams. 

9 (4) REPORT.—Not later than March 31, 2010, 

10 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Vet11 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

12 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a 

13 report on the results of the study required by para14 graph (1). 

Æ 


jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS