I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2399 

To provide for greater transparency in the HUD–VASH supported housing 

program for homeless veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2019 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. KATKO, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. HECK, 

Mr. CASE, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. NORTON, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. 

ROUDA, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. CISNEROS, and Mr. CARBAJAL) 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 provide for greater transparency in the HUD–VASH 

supported housing program for homeless veterans, 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 ‘‘Homes for Our Heroes 

5 Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Departments of Housing and Urban 

2 Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) 

3 jointly support veterans experiencing homelessness 

4 by providing permanent supportive housing. 

5 (2) The HUD–VA Supportive Housing voucher 

6 program (HUD–VASH) has successfully decreased 

7 the number of homeless veterans. 

8 (3) Since the establishment of the HUD–VASH 

9 voucher program in 2008, more than 97,000 vouch10 ers have been awarded to public housing agencies 

11 and more than 170,000 homeless veterans have been 

12 provided with vouchers. 

13 (4) The number of veterans experiencing home14 lessness has declined by over 30,000 since 2009, ac15 cording to data from the annual Point-in-Time 

16 Homeless Count organized by HUD. 

17 (5) Under the HUD–VASH program, veterans 

18 benefit from affordable housing and matching sup19 portive services, such as mental health treatment, 

20 substance use counseling, and employment training. 

21 (6) In the past year, some regions of the Nation 

22 have seen an increase in the numbers of veterans ex23 periencing homelessness, particularly in high-cost 

24 housing markets where housing is becoming less af25 fordable. 


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1 (7) HUD and VA allocate vouchers under the 

2 HUD–VASH program based on need, but do not 

3 disclose the formula that determines the allocation 

4 of vouchers. 

5 SEC. 3. REPORTS. 

6 (a) HUD.— 

7 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Paragraph (19) of sec8 tion 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

9 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is amended by adding at 

10 the end the following new subparagraph: 

11 ‘‘(D) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

12 ‘‘(i) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—Not 

13 later than the expiration of the 12-month 

14 period beginning on the date of the enact15 ment of this subparagraph and not less 

16 often than annually thereafter, the Sec17 retary shall submit to the Congress, as 

18 provided in clause (ii), and make publicly 

19 available, information identifying for the 

20 preceding year— 

21 ‘‘(I) the public housing agencies, 

22 in partnership with the medical cen23 ters of the Department of Veterans 

24 Affairs, for which vouchers for rental 


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1 assistance under this paragraph were 

2 allocated; and 

3 ‘‘(II) the number of such vouch4 ers allocated, disaggregated by the 

5 tenant-based vouchers and project6 based vouchers, as awarded by the 

7 Department of Housing and Urban 

8 Development. 

9 ‘‘(ii) JOINT REPORT.—The informa10 tion required under clause (I) shall be sub11 mitted— 

12 ‘‘(I) in a joint report by the Sec13 retary and the Secretary of Veterans 

14 Affairs, together with the information 

15 for such year required to be submitted 

16 under section 2003(c) of title 38, 

17 United States Code; and 

18 ‘‘(II) to the Committees on Fi19 nancial Services and Veterans’ Affairs 

20 of the House of Representatives and 

21 the Committees on Banking, Housing, 

22 and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Af23 fairs of the Senate.’’. 

24 (2) REPORT ON HISTORICAL DATA.— 


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1 (A) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—Not later 

2 than the expiration of the 90-day period begin3 ning on the date of the enactment of this Act, 

4 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop5 ment shall submit to the Congress, as provided 

6 in subparagraph (B), and make publicly avail7 able, for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2019 

8 to the greatest extent possible the information 

9 described in subclauses (I) and (II) of section 

10 8(o)(19)(D)(i) of the United States Housing 

11 Act of 1937, as added by the amendment made 

12 by paragraph (1) of this subsection. 

13 (B) JOINT REPORT.—The information re14 quired under subparagraph (A) shall be sub15 mitted— 

16 (i) in a joint report by the Secretary 

17 and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to18 gether with the information required to be 

19 submitted under subsection (b)(2) of this 

20 section; and 

21 (ii) to the Committees on Financial 

22 Services and Veterans’ Affairs of the 

23 House of Representatives and the Commit24 tees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af25 fairs and Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate. 


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1 (b) VA.— 

2 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Section 2003 of title 

3 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

4 the end the following new subsection: 

5 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORTS ON CASE MANAGEMENT

6 FUNDING.— 

7 ‘‘(1) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 

8 the expiration of the 6-month period beginning on 

9 the date of the enactment of this subsection and not 

10 less often than annually thereafter, the Secretary 

11 shall submit to the Congress, as provided in para12 graph (2), and make publicly available, information 

13 identifying for the preceding year— 

14 ‘‘(A) the medical centers of the Depart15 ment of Veterans Affairs to which funds were 

16 provided pursuant to subsection (b) of this sec17 tion for providing case managers under the sup18 ported housing program carried out by the Sec19 retary, in conjunction with the Department of 

20 Housing and Urban Development, pursuant to 

21 section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing 

22 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)); 

23 ‘‘(B) the eligible entities with which the 

24 Secretary of Veterans Affairs contracted to pro25 vide case management services under such supVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:16 May 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2399.IH H2399

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1 ported housing program pursuant to section 

2 304 of the Honoring America’s Veterans and 

3 Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 

4 (38 U.S.C. 2041 note); 

5 ‘‘(C) for each such medical center and eli6 gible entity, the number of full-time positions 

7 provided by such funding; 

8 ‘‘(D) for caseworkers providing such case 

9 management services, the average number of 

10 veterans on the caseload for a caseworker; 

11 ‘‘(E) the number of individuals who return 

12 to the supported housing program after leaving 

13 it; 

14 ‘‘(F) the number of recipients of housing 

15 assistance vouchers under the supported hous16 ing program by gender; and 

17 ‘‘(G) the number of such voucher recipi18 ents by service era. 

19 ‘‘(2) JOINT REPORT.—The information required 

20 under paragraph (1) shall be submitted— 

21 ‘‘(A) in a joint report by the Secretary and 

22 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop23 ment, together with the information for such 

24 year required to be submitted under section 


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1 8(o)(19)(D) of the United States Housing Act 

2 of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)(D)); and 

3 ‘‘(B) to the Committees on Veterans’ Af4 fairs and Financial Services of the House of 

5 Representatives and the Committees on Vet6 erans’ Affairs and Banking, Housing, and 

7 Urban Affairs of the Senate’’. 

8 (2) REPORT ON HISTORICAL DATA.— 

9 (A) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—Not later 

10 than the expiration of the 6-month period be11 ginning on the date of the enactment of this 

12 Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

13 submit to the Congress, as provided in subpara14 graph (B), and make publicly available, for 

15 each of fiscal years 2014 through 2019 to the 

16 greatest extent possible the information de17 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of 

18 section 2003(c)(1) of title 38, United States 

19 Code, as added by the amendment made by 

20 paragraph (1) of this subsection. 

21 (B) JOINT REPORT.—The information re22 quired under subparagraph (A) shall be sub23 mitted— 

24 (i) in a joint report by the Secretary 

25 and the Secretary of Housing and Urban 


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1 Development, together with the informa2 tion required to be submitted under sub3 section (a)(2) of this section; and 

4 (ii) to the Committees on Financial 

5 Services and Veterans’ Affairs of the 

6 House of Representatives and the Commit7 tees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af8 fairs and Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate. 

9 SEC. 4. STUDY OF BARRIERS TO ADMINISTRATION IN HIGH 

10 HOUSING COST AREAS. 

11 (a) STUDY.—The Secretaries of Housing and Urban 

12 Development and Veterans Affairs, in consultation with 

13 the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 

14 shall jointly conduct a study to identify barriers to car15 rying out the HUD–VASH supported housing program 

16 under section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act 

17 of 1937 in areas having high housing costs. Such study 

18 shall— 

19 (1) be carried out with respect to not less than 

20 15 housing market areas used for purposes of fair 

21 market rents established under the rental assistance 

22 program under section 8 of the United States Hous23 ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), as selected by 

24 such Secretaries, that— 


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1 (A) have high rates of veterans experi2 encing homelessness, as identified by the Sec3 retary of Housing and Urban Development; 

4 (B) have high housing costs, as identified 

5 by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel6 opment; 

7 (C) have at least one public housing agen8 cy and one medical center of the Department of 

9 Veterans Affairs located within the area; and 

10 (D) include housing market areas for 

11 which fair market rents are calculated using the 

12 Small Area Fair Market Rents and include 

13 housing areas that are not calculated using 

14 such rents; 

15 (2) for each housing market area covered by the 

16 study, collect data with respect to only one public 

17 housing agency and one medical center of the De18 partment of Veterans Affairs located in the area; 

19 and 

20 (3) identify for such high housing cost areas— 

21 (A) the average amount of time elapsed be22 tween a veteran receiving a voucher for rental 

23 assistance under the program and signing a 

24 lease for a residence to be assisted using such 

25 voucher; 


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1 (B) administrative burdens to the use of 

2 project-based voucher assistance under such 

3 program, including any State and local regula4 tions that make project-based vouchers more 

5 difficult to use; 

6 (C) ways in which public housing agencies 

7 leverage private resources with public funds 

8 under such program and difficulties developers 

9 may experience under such program in the use 

10 of project-based vouchers; 

11 (D) how public housing agencies and med12 ical centers of the Department of Veterans Af13 fairs define the term ‘‘unused vouchers’’; 

14 (E) the process for reallocation of any such 

15 unused vouchers; and 

16 (F) any best practices for administration 

17 of vouchers under the program in such high 

18 housing cost areas. 

19 (b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the 

20 12-month period beginning on the date of the enactment 

21 of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop22 ment and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly 

23 submit to the Congress a report setting forth the findings 

24 of the study under subsection (a) and any recommenda25 tions resulting from such study. 


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1 SEC. 5. APPEARANCES BEFORE CONGRESS. 

2 Not later than the expiration of the 90-day period 

3 beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

4 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the 

5 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each appear before the 

6 Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep7 resentatives and the Senate to provide information regard8 ing— 

9 (1) the formula used to allocate vouchers for 

10 rental assistance under the HUD–VASH supported 

11 housing program under section 8(o)(19) of the 

12 United States Housing Act of 1937 among medical 

13 centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

14 (2) how such Secretaries use existing data, in15 cluding requests from medical facilities of the De16 partment of Veterans Affairs and partnering public 

17 housing agencies and voucher utilization rates, to 

18 make allocation determinations; and 

19 (3) which functions and calculations are made 

20 by the Department of Veterans Affairs and which 

21 are made by Department of Housing and Urban De22 velopment, in making such allocations. 

Æ 


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