II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3614 

To establish a pilot program to authorize the Secretary of Housing and 

Urban Development to make grants to nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate and modify homes of disabled and low-income veterans. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 

Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. JOHANNS) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish a pilot program to authorize the Secretary of 

Housing and Urban Development to make grants to nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate and modify homes 

of disabled and low-income 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 ‘‘Housing Assistance 

5 for Veterans Act of 2012’’ or the ‘‘HAVEN Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 3614 IS

1 (1) DISABLED.—The term ‘‘disabled’’ means an 

2 individual with a disability, as defined by section 

3 12102 of title 42, United States Code. 

4 (2) ELIGIBLE VETERAN.—The term ‘‘eligible 

5 veteran’’ means a disabled or low-income veteran. 

6 (3) ENERGY EFFICIENT FEATURES OR EQUIP7 MENT.—The term ‘‘energy efficient features or 

8 equipment’’ means features of, or equipment in, a 

9 primary residence that help reduce the amount of 

10 electricity used to heat, cool, or ventilate such resi11 dence, including insulation, weatherstripping, air 

12 sealing, heating system repairs, duct sealing, or 

13 other measures. 

14 (4) LOW-INCOME VETERAN.—The term ‘‘low-in15 come veteran’’ means a veteran whose income does 

16 not exceed 80 percent of the median income for an 

17 area, as determined by the Secretary. 

18 (5) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

19 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

20 is— 

21 (A) described in section 501(c)(3) or 

22 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

23 1986; and 

24 (B) exempt from tax under section 501(a) 

25 of such Code. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 3614 IS

1 (6) PRIMARY RESIDENCE.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘primary res3 idence’’ means a single family house, a duplex, 

4 or a unit within a multiple-dwelling structure 

5 that is an eligible veteran’s principal dwelling 

6 and is owned by such veteran or a family mem7 ber of such veteran. 

8 (B) FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.—For pur9 poses of this paragraph, the term ‘‘family mem10 ber’’ includes— 

11 (i) a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, 

12 or sibling; 

13 (ii) a spouse of such a child, grand14 child, parent, or sibling; or 

15 (iii) any individual related by blood or 

16 affinity whose close association with a vet17 eran is the equivalent of a family relation18 ship. 

19 (7) QUALIFIED ORGANIZATION.—The term 

20 ‘‘qualified organization’’ means a nonprofit organiza21 tion that provides nationwide or State-wide pro22 grams that primarily serve veterans or low-income 

23 individuals. 

24 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

25 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 3614 IS

1 (9) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 

2 same meaning as given such term in section 101 of 

3 title 38, United States Code. 

4 (10) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION.—The 

5 term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ means any or6 ganization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans 

7 Affairs for the representation of veterans under sec8 tion 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 

9 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A PILOT PROGRAM. 

10 (a) GRANT.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

12 a pilot program to award grants to qualified organi13 zations to rehabilitate and modify the primary resi14 dence of eligible veterans. 

15 (2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall work 

16 in conjunction with the Secretary of Veterans Af17 fairs to establish and oversee the pilot program and 

18 to ensure that such program meets the needs of eli19 gible veterans. 

20 (3) MAXIMUM GRANT.—A grant award under 

21 the pilot program to any one qualified organization 

22 shall not exceed $1,000,000 in any one fiscal year, 

23 and such an award shall remain available until ex24 pended by such organization. 

25 (b) APPLICATION.— 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 3614 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each qualified organization 

2 that desires a grant under the pilot program shall 

3 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 

4 in such manner, and, in addition to the information 

5 required under paragraph (2), accompanied by such 

6 information as the Secretary may reasonably re7 quire. 

8 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

9 under paragraph (1) shall include— 

10 (A) a plan of action detailing outreach ini11 tiatives; 

12 (B) the approximate number of veterans 

13 the qualified organization intends to serve using 

14 grant funds; 

15 (C) a description of the type of work that 

16 will be conducted, such as interior home modi17 fications, energy efficiency improvements, and 

18 other similar categories of work; and 

19 (D) a plan for working with the Depart20 ment of Veterans Affairs and veterans service 

21 organizations to identify veterans and serve 

22 their needs. 

23 (3) PREFERENCES.—In awarding grants under 

24 the pilot program, the Secretary shall give pref25 erence to a qualified organization— 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 3614 IS

1 (A) with experience in providing housing 

2 rehabilitation and modification services for dis3 abled veterans; or 

4 (B) that proposes to provide housing reha5 bilitation and modification services for eligible 

6 veterans who live in rural areas (the Secretary, 

7 through regulations, shall define the term 

8 ‘‘rural areas’’). 

9 (c) CRITERIA.—In order to receive a grant award 

10 under the pilot program, a qualified organization shall 

11 meet the following criteria: 

12 (1) Demonstrate expertise in providing housing 

13 rehabilitation and modification services for disabled 

14 or low-income individuals for the purpose of making 

15 the homes of such individuals accessible, functional, 

16 and safe for such individuals. 

17 (2) Have established outreach initiatives that— 

18 (A) would engage eligible veterans and vet19 erans service organizations in projects utilizing 

20 grant funds under the pilot program; and 

21 (B) identify eligible veterans and their 

22 families and enlist veterans involved in skilled 

23 trades, such as carpentry, roofing, plumbing, or 

24 HVAC work. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 3614 IS

1 (3) Have an established nationwide or State2 wide network of affiliates that are— 

3 (A) nonprofit organizations; and 

4 (B) able to provide housing rehabilitation 

5 and modification services for eligible veterans. 

6 (4) Have experience in successfully carrying out 

7 the accountability and reporting requirements in8 volved in the proper administration of grant funds, 

9 including funds provided by private entities or Fed10 eral, State, or local government entities. 

11 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant award under the pilot 

12 program shall be used— 

13 (1) to modify and rehabilitate the primary resi14 dence of an eligible veteran, and may include— 

15 (A) installing wheelchair ramps, widening 

16 exterior and interior doors, reconfigurating and 

17 re-equipping bathrooms (which includes install18 ing new fixtures and grab bars), removing door19 way thresholds, installing special lighting, add20 ing additional electrical outlets and electrical 

21 service, and installing appropriate floor cov22 erings to— 

23 (i) accommodate the functional limita24 tions that result from having a disability; 

25 or 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 3614 IS

1 (ii) if such residence does not have 

2 modifications necessary to reduce the 

3 chances that an elderly, but not disabled 

4 person, will fall in their home, reduce the 

5 risks of such an elderly person from fall6 ing; 

7 (B) rehabilitating such residence that is in 

8 a state of interior or exterior disrepair; and 

9 (C) installing energy efficient features or 

10 equipment if— 

11 (i) an eligible veteran’s monthly utility 

12 costs for such residence is more than 5 

13 percent of such veteran’s monthly income; 

14 and 

15 (ii) an energy audit of such residence 

16 indicates that the installation of energy ef17 ficient features or equipment will reduce 

18 such costs by 10 percent or more; 

19 (2) in connection with modification and reha20 bilitation services provided under the pilot program, 

21 to provide technical, administrative, and training 

22 support to an affiliate of a qualified organization re23 ceiving a grant under such pilot program; and 

24 (3) for other purposes as the Secretary may 

25 prescribe through regulations. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 3614 IS

1 (e) OVERSIGHT.—The Secretary shall direct the over2 sight of the grant funds for the pilot program so that such 

3 funds are used efficiently until expended to fulfill the pur4 pose of addressing the adaptive housing needs of eligible 

5 veterans. 

6 (f) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—A qualified organization re8 ceiving a grant under the pilot program shall con9 tribute towards the housing modification and reha10 bilitation services provided to eligible veterans an 

11 amount equal to not less than 50 percent of the 

12 grant award received by such organization. 

13 (2) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—In order to 

14 meet the requirement under paragraph (1), such or15 ganization may arrange for in-kind contributions. 

16 (g) LIMITATION COST TO THE VETERANS.—A quali17 fied organization receiving a grant under the pilot pro18 gram shall modify or rehabilitate the primary residence 

19 of an eligible veteran at no cost to such veteran (including 

20 application fees) or at a cost such that such veteran pays 

21 no more than 30 percent of his or her income in housing 

22 costs during any month. 

23 (h) REPORTS.— 

24 (1) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall 

25 submit to Congress, on an annual basis, a report 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 3614 IS

1 that provides, with respect to the year for which 

2 such report is written— 

3 (A) the number of eligible veterans pro4 vided assistance under the pilot program; 

5 (B) the socioeconomic characteristics of 

6 such veterans, including their gender, age, race, 

7 and ethnicity; 

8 (C) the total number, types, and locations 

9 of entities contracted under such program to 

10 administer the grant funding; 

11 (D) the amount of matching funds and in12 kind contributions raised with each grant; 

13 (E) a description of the housing rehabilita14 tion and modification services provided, costs 

15 saved, and actions taken under such program; 

16 (F) a description of the outreach initiatives 

17 implemented by the Secretary to educate the 

18 general public and eligible entities about such 

19 program; 

20 (G) a description of the outreach initiatives 

21 instituted by grant recipients to engage eligible 

22 veterans and veteran service organizations in 

23 projects utilizing grant funds under such pro24 gram; 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 3614 IS

1 (H) a description of the outreach initia2 tives instituted by grant recipients to identify 

3 eligible veterans and their families; and 

4 (I) any other information that the Sec5 retary considers relevant in assessing such pro6 gram. 

7 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 

8 after the completion of the pilot program, the Sec9 retary shall submit to Congress a report that pro10 vides such information that the Secretary considers 

11 relevant in assessing the pilot program. 

12 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out this Act 

14 $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017. 

Æ 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS