II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1084 

To provide housing assistance for very low-income veterans. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 10, 2007 

Mr. REID (for Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 

BROWN, and Ms. CANTWELL)) introduced the following bill; which was 

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

Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide housing assistance for very 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 ‘‘Homes for Heroes Act 

5 of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR VETERANS AFFAIRS IN OF7 FICE OF SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND 

8 URBAN DEVELOPMENT. 

9 Section 4 of the Department of Housing and Urban 

10 Development Act (42 U.S.C. 3533) is amended by adding 

11 at the end the following new subsection: 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

2 

•S 1084 IS

1 ‘‘(g) SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR VETERANS AF2 FAIRS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be in the 

4 Department a Special Assistant for Veterans Af5 fairs, who shall be in the Office of the Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT.—The Special Assistant for 

7 Veterans Affairs shall be appointed based solely on 

8 merit and shall be covered under the provisions of 

9 title 5, United States Code, governing appointments 

10 in the competitive service. 

11 ‘‘(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Special Assist12 ant for Veterans Affairs shall be responsible for— 

13 ‘‘(A) ensuring veterans have access to 

14 housing and homeless assistance under each 

15 program of the Department providing either 

16 such assistance; 

17 ‘‘(B) coordinating all programs and activi18 ties of the Department relating to veterans; 

19 ‘‘(C) serving as a liaison for the Depart20 ment with the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

21 including establishing and maintaining relation22 ships with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 

23 ‘‘(D) serving as a liaison for the Depart24 ment, and establishing and maintaining rela25 tionships with officials of State, local, regional, 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

3 

•S 1084 IS

1 and nongovernmental organizations concerned 

2 with veterans; 

3 ‘‘(E) providing information and advice re4 garding— 

5 ‘‘(i) sponsoring housing projects for 

6 veterans assisted under programs adminis7 tered by the Department; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) assisting veterans in obtaining 

9 housing or homeless assistance under pro10 grams administered by the Department; 

11 ‘‘(F) administering the technical assistance 

12 grants program under section 7 of the Homes 

13 for Heroes Act of 2006; 

14 ‘‘(G) preparing the annual report under 

15 section 8 of such Act; and 

16 ‘‘(H) carrying out such other duties as 

17 may be assigned to the Special Assistant by the 

18 Secretary or by law.’’. 

19 SEC. 3. SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR VERY LOW-INCOME 

20 VETERAN FAMILIES. 

21 (a) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this section are— 

22 (1) to expand the supply of permanent housing 

23 for very low-income veteran families; and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

4 

•S 1084 IS

1 (2) to provide supportive services through such 

2 housing to support the needs of such veteran fami3 lies. 

4 (b) AUTHORITY.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing 

6 and Urban Development shall, to the extent amounts 

7 are made available for assistance under this section 

8 and the Secretary receives approvable applications 

9 for such assistance, provide assistance to private 

10 nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives 

11 to expand the supply of supportive housing for very 

12 low-income veteran families. 

13 (2) NATURE OF ASSISTANCE.—The assistance 

14 provided under paragraph (1)— 

15 (A) shall be available for use to plan for 

16 and finance the acquisition, construction, recon17 struction, or moderate or substantial rehabilita18 tion of a structure or a portion of a structure 

19 to be used as supportive housing for very low20 income veteran families in accordance with this 

21 section; and 

22 (B) may also cover the cost of real prop23 erty acquisition, site improvement, conversion, 

24 demolition, relocation, and other expenses that 

25 the Secretary determines are necessary to exmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

5 

•S 1084 IS

1 pand the supply of supportive housing for very 

2 low-income veteran families. 

3 (3) CONSULTATION.—In meeting the require4 ment of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult 

5 with— 

6 (A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and 

7 (B) the Special Assistant for Veterans Af8 fairs, as such Special Assistant was established 

9 under section 4(g) of the Department of Hous10 ing and Urban Development Act. 

11 (c) FORMS OF ASSISTANCE.—Assistance under this 

12 section shall be made available in the following forms: 

13 (1) Assistance may be provided as a grant for 

14 costs of planning a project to be used as supportive 

15 housing for very low-income veteran families. 

16 (2) Assistance may be provided as a capital ad17 vance under this paragraph for a project, such ad18 vance shall— 

19 (A) bear no interest; 

20 (B) not be required to be repaid so long as 

21 the housing remains available for occupancy by 

22 very low-income veteran families in accordance 

23 with this section; and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

6 

•S 1084 IS

1 (C) be in an amount calculated in accord2 ance with the development cost limitation estab3 lished pursuant to subsection (j). 

4 (3) Assistance may be provided as project rent5 al assistance, under an annual contract that— 

6 (A) obligates the Secretary to make 

7 monthly payments to cover any part of the 

8 costs attributed to units occupied (or, as ap9 proved by the Secretary, held for occupancy) by 

10 very low-income veteran families that is not met 

11 from project income; 

12 (B) provides for the project not more than 

13 the sum of the initial annual project rentals for 

14 all units so occupied and any initial utility al15 lowances for such units, as approved by the 

16 Secretary; 

17 (C) any contract amounts not used by a 

18 project in any year shall remain available to the 

19 project until the expiration of the contract; and 

20 (D) provides that the Secretary shall, to 

21 the extent appropriations for such purpose are 

22 made available, adjust the annual contract 

23 amount if the sum of the project income and 

24 the amount of assistance payments available 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

7 

•S 1084 IS

1 under this paragraph are inadequate to provide 

2 for reasonable project costs. 

3 (d) TENANT RENT CONTRIBUTION.—A very low-in4 come veteran family shall pay as rent for a dwelling unit 

5 assisted under this section the highest of the following 

6 amounts, rounded to the nearest dollar: 

7 (1) 30 percent of the veteran family’s adjusted 

8 monthly income. 

9 (2) 10 percent of the veteran family’s monthly 

10 income. 

11 (3) If the veteran family is receiving payments 

12 for welfare assistance from a public agency and a 

13 part of such payments, adjusted in accordance with 

14 the veteran family’s actual housing costs, is specifi15 cally designated by such agency to meet the veteran 

16 family’s housing costs, the portion of such payments 

17 which is so designated. 

18 (e) TERM OF COMMITMENT.— 

19 (1) USE LIMITATIONS.—All units in housing as20 sisted under this section shall be made available for 

21 occupancy by very low-income veteran families for 

22 not less than 15 years. 

23 (2) CONTRACT TERMS.— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

8 

•S 1084 IS

1 (A) INITIAL TERM.—The initial term of a 

2 contract entered into under subsection (c)(2) 

3 shall be 60 months. 

4 (B) EXTENSION.—The Secretary shall, to 

5 the extent approved in appropriation Acts, ex6 tend any expiring contract for a term of not 

7 less than 12 months. 

8 (C) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY TO MAKE

9 EARLY COMMITMENTS.—In order to facilitate 

10 the orderly extension of expiring contracts, the 

11 Secretary may make commitments to extend ex12 piring contracts during the year prior to the 

13 date of expiration. 

14 (f) APPLICATIONS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts made available 

16 under this section shall be allocated by the Secretary 

17 among approvable applications submitted by private 

18 nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives. 

19 (2) CONTENT OF APPLICATION.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Applications for assist21 ance under this section shall be submitted by an 

22 applicant in such form and in accordance with 

23 such procedures as the Secretary shall estab24 lish. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

9 

•S 1084 IS

1 (B) REQUIRED CONTENT.—Applications 

2 for assistance under this section shall contain— 

3 (i) a description of the proposed hous4 ing; 

5 (ii) a description of the assistance the 

6 applicant seeks under this section; 

7 (iii) a description of— 

8 (I) the supportive services to be 

9 provided to the persons occupying 

10 such housing; 

11 (II) the manner in which such 

12 services will be provided to such per13 sons, including, in the case of frail el14 derly persons (as such term is defined 

15 in section 202 of the Housing Act of 

16 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q)), evidence of 

17 such residential supervision as the 

18 Secretary determines is necessary to 

19 facilitate the adequate provision of 

20 such services; and 

21 (III) the public or private sources 

22 of assistance that can reasonably be 

23 expected to fund or provide such serv24 ices; 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

10 

•S 1084 IS

1 (iv) a certification from the public of2 ficial responsible for submitting a housing 

3 strategy for the jurisdiction to be served in 

4 accordance with section 105 of the Cran5 ston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 

6 Act (42 U.S.C. 12705) that the proposed 

7 project is consistent with the approved 

8 housing strategy; and 

9 (v) such other information or certifi10 cations that the Secretary determines to be 

11 necessary or appropriate to achieve the 

12 purposes of this section. 

13 (3) REJECTION.—The Secretary shall not reject 

14 any application for assistance under this section on 

15 technical grounds without giving notice of that rejec16 tion and the basis therefore to the applicant. 

17 (g) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall es18 tablish selection criteria for assistance under this section, 

19 which shall include— 

20 (1) criteria based upon— 

21 (A) the ability of the applicant to develop 

22 and operate the proposed housing; 

23 (B) the need for supportive housing for 

24 very low-income veteran families in the area to 

25 be served; 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

11 

•S 1084 IS

1 (C) the extent to which the proposed size 

2 and unit mix of the housing will enable the ap3 plicant to manage and operate the housing effi4 ciently and ensure that the provision of sup5 portive services will be accomplished in an eco6 nomical fashion; 

7 (D) the extent to which the proposed de8 sign of the housing will meet the physical needs 

9 of very low-income veteran families; 

10 (E) the extent to which the applicant has 

11 demonstrated that the supportive services iden12 tified pursuant to subsection (f)(2)(B)(iii) will 

13 be provided on a consistent, long-term basis; 

14 (F) the extent to which the proposed de15 sign of the housing will accommodate the provi16 sion of supportive services that are expected to 

17 be needed, either initially or over the useful life 

18 of the housing, by the very low-income veterans 

19 the housing is intended to serve; and 

20 (G) such other factors as the Secretary de21 termines to be appropriate to ensure that funds 

22 made available under this section are used ef23 fectively; 

24 (2) a preference in such selection for applica25 tions proposing housing to be reserved for occupancy 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

12 

•S 1084 IS

1 by very low-income veteran families who are home2 less (as such term is defined in section 103 of the 

3 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 11302)); and 

5 (3) criteria appropriate to consider the need for 

6 supportive housing for very low-income veteran fami7 lies in nonmetropolitan areas and by Indian tribes. 

8 (h) PROVISION OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO VET9 ERAN FAMILIES.— 

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

11 Affairs shall ensure that any housing assistance pro12 vided to veterans or veteran families includes a 

13 range of services tailored to the needs of the very 

14 low-income veteran families occupying such housing, 

15 which may include services for— 

16 (A) outreach; 

17 (B) health (including counseling, mental 

18 health, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress 

19 disorder, and traumatic brain injury) diagnosis 

20 and treatment; 

21 (C) habilitation and rehabilitation; 

22 (D) case management; 

23 (E) daily living; 

24 (F) personal financial planning; 

25 (G) transportation; 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

13 

•S 1084 IS

1 (H) vocation; 

2 (I) employment and training; 

3 (J) education; 

4 (K) assistance in obtaining veterans bene5 fits and public benefits, including health and 

6 medical care provided by the Department of 

7 Veterans Affairs; 

8 (L) assistance in obtaining income support; 

9 (M) assistance in obtaining health insur10 ance; 

11 (N) fiduciary and representative payee; 

12 (O) legal aid; 

13 (P) child care; 

14 (Q) housing counseling; 

15 (R) service coordination; and 

16 (S) other services necessary for maintain17 ing independent living. 

18 (2) LOCAL COORDINATION OF SERVICES.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall en20 sure that owners of housing assisted under this 

21 section have the managerial capacity to— 

22 (i) assess on an ongoing basis the 

23 service needs of residents; 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

14 

•S 1084 IS

1 (ii) coordinate the provision of sup2 portive services and tailor such services to 

3 the individual needs of residents; and 

4 (iii) seek on a continuous basis new 

5 sources of assistance to ensure the long6 term provision of supportive services. 

7 (B) CLASSIFICATION OF COSTS.—Any cost 

8 associated with this subsection shall be an eligi9 ble cost under subsections (c)(3) and (i). 

10 (i) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SERVICES.— 

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

12 Affairs shall, to the extent amounts are available for 

13 assistance under this subsection, provide financial 

14 assistance for the provision of supportive services, 

15 and for coordinating the provision of such services, 

16 to very low-income veteran families occupying as17 sisted housing. Such assistance shall be made 

18 through payments to owners of such housing for 

19 each resident of the housing based on the formula 

20 established under paragraph (2). 

21 (2) FORMULA.—The Secretary of Veterans Af22 fairs shall establish a formula to determine the rate 

23 of the payments to be provided under this sub24 section. The formula shall determine a rate for each 

25 resident of the housing assisted under this section 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

15 

•S 1084 IS

1 (which shall be adjusted not less than annually to 

2 take into consideration changes in the cost of living). 

3 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to 

5 be appropriated for the Department of Veterans 

6 Affairs to carry out this subsection amounts as 

7 follows: 

8 (i) For fiscal year 2008, $25,000,000. 

9 (ii) For each fiscal year after fiscal 

10 year 2008, such sums as may be necessary 

11 for such fiscal year. 

12 (B) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts authorized 

13 to be appropriated by subparagraph (A) shall 

14 remain available until expended. 

15 (j) DEVELOPMENT COST LIMITATIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall periodi17 cally establish development cost limitations by mar18 ket area for various types and sizes of supportive 

19 housing for very low-income veteran families by pub20 lishing a notice of the cost limitations in the Federal 

21 Register. 

22 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The cost limitations es23 tablished under paragraph (1) shall reflect— 

24 (A) the cost of construction, reconstruc25 tion, or moderate or substantial rehabilitation 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

16 

•S 1084 IS

1 of supportive housing for very low-income vet2 eran families that meets applicable State and 

3 local housing and building codes; 

4 (B) the cost of movables necessary to the 

5 basic operation of the housing, as determined 

6 by the Secretary; 

7 (C) the cost of special design features nec8 essary to make the housing accessible to very 

9 low-income veteran families; 

10 (D) the cost of congregate space necessary 

11 to accommodate the provision of supportive 

12 services to veteran families; 

13 (E) if the housing is newly constructed, the 

14 cost of meeting the energy efficiency standards 

15 promulgated by the Secretary in accordance 

16 with section 109 of the Cranston-Gonzalez Na17 tional Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 

18 12709); and 

19 (F) the cost of land, including necessary 

20 site improvement. 

21 (3) USE OF DATA.—In establishing development 

22 cost limitations for a given market area under this 

23 subsection, the Secretary shall use data that reflect 

24 currently prevailing costs of construction, reconmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

17 

•S 1084 IS

1 struction, or moderate or substantial rehabilitation, 

2 and land acquisition in the area. 

3 (4) CONGREGATE SPACE.—For purposes of 

4 paragraph (1), a congregate space shall include 

5 space for cafeterias or dining halls, community 

6 rooms or buildings, workshops, child care, adult day 

7 health facilities or other outpatient health facilities, 

8 or other essential service facilities. 

9 (5) COMMERCIAL FACILITIES.—Neither this 

10 section nor any other provision of law may be con11 strued as prohibiting or preventing the location and 

12 operation, in a project assisted under this section, of 

13 commercial facilities for the benefit of residents of 

14 the project and the community in which the project 

15 is located, except that assistance made available 

16 under this section may not be used to subsidize any 

17 such commercial facility. 

18 (6) ACQUISITION.—In the case of existing hous19 ing and related facilities to be acquired, the cost lim20 itations shall include— 

21 (A) the cost of acquiring such housing; 

22 (B) the cost of rehabilitation, alteration, 

23 conversion, or improvement, including the mod24 erate or substantial rehabilitation thereof; and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

18 

•S 1084 IS

1 (C) the cost of the land on which the hous2 ing and related facilities are located. 

3 (7) ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary 

4 shall adjust the cost limitation not less than annu5 ally to reflect changes in the general level of con6 struction, reconstruction, and moderate and substan7 tial rehabilitation costs. 

8 (8) INCENTIVES FOR SAVINGS.— 

9 (A) SPECIAL HOUSING ACCOUNT.— 

10 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

11 use the development cost limitations estab12 lished under paragraph (1) or (6) to cal13 culate the amount of financing to be made 

14 available to individual owners. 

15 (ii) ACTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL COSTS

16 LESS THAN FINANCING.—Owners which 

17 incur actual development costs that are 

18 less than the amount of financing shall be 

19 entitled to retain 50 percent of the savings 

20 in a special housing account. 

21 (iii) BONUS FOR ENERGY EFFI22 CIENCY.—The percentage established 

23 under clause (ii) shall be increased to 75 

24 percent for owners which add energy effi25 ciency features which— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

19 

•S 1084 IS

1 (I) exceed the energy efficiency 

2 standards promulgated by the Sec3 retary in accordance with section 109 

4 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Af5 fordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 12709); 

7 (II) substantially reduce the life8 cycle cost of the housing; and 

9 (III) reduce gross rent require10 ments. 

11 (B) USES.—The special housing account 

12 established under subparagraph (A) may be 

13 used— 

14 (i) to provide services to residents of 

15 the housing or funds set aside for replace16 ment reserves; or 

17 (ii) for such other purposes as deter18 mined by the Secretary. 

19 (9) DESIGN FLEXIBILITY.—The Secretary shall, 

20 to the extent practicable, give owners the flexibility 

21 to design housing appropriate to their location and 

22 proposed resident population within broadly defined 

23 parameters. 

24 (10) USE OF FUNDS FROM OTHER SOURCES.— 

25 An owner shall be permitted voluntarily to provide 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

20 

•S 1084 IS

1 funds from sources other than this section for amen2 ities and other features of appropriate design and 

3 construction suitable for supportive housing under 

4 this section if the cost of such amenities is— 

5 (A) not financed with the advance; and 

6 (B) is not taken into account in deter7 mining the amount of Federal assistance or of 

8 the rent contribution of tenants. 

9 (k) TENANT SELECTION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—An owner shall adopt writ11 ten tenant selection procedures that are— 

12 (A) satisfactory to the Secretary and which 

13 are— 

14 (i) consistent with the purpose of im15 proving housing opportunities for very low16 income veteran families; and 

17 (ii) reasonably related to program eli18 gibility and an applicant’s ability to per19 form the obligations of the lease; and 

20 (B) compliant with subtitle C of title VI of 

21 the Housing and Community Development Act 

22 of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13601 et seq.) and any reg23 ulations issued under such subtitle. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

21 

•S 1084 IS

1 (2) NOTIFICATION OF REJECTION.—Owners 

2 shall promptly notify in writing any rejected appli3 cant of the grounds for any rejection. 

4 (3) INFORMATION REGARDING HOUSING.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

6 provide, to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

7 and the Secretary of Labor, information regard8 ing the availability of the housing assisted 

9 under this section. 

10 (B) SHARING OF INFORMATION WITH AD11 DITIONAL AGENCIES.—Within 30 days of re12 ceipt of the information, the Secretary of Vet13 erans Affairs and Secretary of Labor shall pro14 vide such information to agencies in the area of 

15 the housing that receive assistance from the 

16 Department of Veterans Affairs and the De17 partment of Labor for providing medical care, 

18 housing, supportive services or employment and 

19 training services to homeless veterans. 

20 (l) MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.— 

21 (1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

22 shall make available appropriate technical assistance 

23 to ensure that prospective applicants are able to par24 ticipate more fully in the program carried out under 

25 this section. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

22 

•S 1084 IS

1 (2) CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE.—Each owner 

2 shall certify, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, 

3 that assistance made available under this section will 

4 be conducted and administered in conformity with 

5 title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 

6 2000a et seq.), the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 3601 et seq.), and other Federal, State, and local 

8 laws prohibiting discrimination and promoting equal 

9 opportunity. 

10 (3) OWNER DEPOSIT.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall re12 quire an owner of housing, assisted under this 

13 section, to deposit an amount not to exceed 

14 $15,000 in a special escrow account to ensure 

15 the owner’s commitment to the housing. 

16 (B) REDUCTION OF REQUIREMENT.— 

17 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

18 reduce or waive the owner deposit specified 

19 under subparagraph (A) for individual ap20 plicants if the Secretary finds that such 

21 waiver or reduction is necessary to achieve 

22 the purposes of this section and the appli23 cant demonstrates to the satisfaction of 

24 the Secretary that it has the capacity to 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

23 

•S 1084 IS

1 manage and maintain the housing in ac2 cordance with this section. 

3 (ii) NONPROFITS.—The Secretary 

4 may reduce or waive the requirement of 

5 the owner deposit under subparagraph (A) 

6 in the case of a nonprofit applicant that is 

7 not affiliated with a national sponsor, as 

8 determined by the Secretary. 

9 (4) NOTICE OF APPEAL.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall no11 tify an owner not less than 30 days prior to 

12 canceling any reservation of assistance provided 

13 under this section. 

14 (B) APPEAL.— 

15 (i) FILING DEADLINE.—During the 

16 30-day period following the receipt of any 

17 notice required under subparagraph (A), 

18 an owner may appeal the proposed can19 cellation. 

20 (ii) TIMING OF DECISION.—Any ap21 peal undertaken under clause (i), including 

22 review by the Secretary, shall be completed 

23 not later than 45 days after the appeal is 

24 filed. 

25 (5) LABOR.— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

24 

•S 1084 IS

1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 take such action as may be necessary to ensure 

3 that all laborers and mechanics employed by 

4 contractors and subcontractors in the construc5 tion of housing with 12 or more units assisted 

6 under this section shall be paid wages at rates 

7 not less than the rates prevailing in the locality 

8 involved for the corresponding classes of labor9 ers and mechanics employed on construction of 

10 a similar character, as determined by the Sec11 retary of Labor in accordance with subchapter 

12 IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States 

13 Code. 

14 (B) EXEMPTION.—Subparagraph (A) shall 

15 not apply to any individual who— 

16 (i) performs services for which the in17 dividual volunteered; 

18 (ii) does not receive compensation for 

19 such services or is paid expenses, reason20 able benefits, or a nominal fee for such 

21 services; and 

22 (iii) is not otherwise employed at any 

23 time in the construction work. 

24 (6) ACCESS TO RESIDUAL RECEIPTS.— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

25 

•S 1084 IS

1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall au2 thorize the owner of a housing project assisted 

3 under this section to use any residual receipts 

4 held for the project in excess of $500 per unit 

5 (or in excess of such other amount prescribed 

6 by the Secretary based on the needs of the 

7 project) for activities to retrofit and renovate 

8 the project as described under section 802(d)(3) 

9 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 

10 Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8011(d)(3)) or to pro11 vide supportive services to residents of the 

12 project. 

13 (B) REPORT.—Any owner that uses resid14 ual receipts under this paragraph shall submit 

15 to the Secretary a report, not less than annu16 ally, describing the uses of the residual receipts. 

17 (C) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT.—In de18 termining the amount of project rental assist19 ance to be provided to a project under sub20 section (c)(3) of this section, the Secretary may 

21 take into consideration the residual receipts 

22 held for the project only if, and to the extent 

23 that, excess residual receipts are not used under 

24 this paragraph. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

26 

•S 1084 IS

1 (7) OCCUPANCY STANDARDS AND OBLIGA2 TIONS.—Each owner shall operate housing assisted 

3 under this section in compliance with subtitle C of 

4 title VI of the Housing and Community Develop5 ment Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13601 et seq.) and 

6 any regulations issued under such subtitle. 

7 (8) USE OF PROJECT RESERVES.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts for project re9 serves for a project assisted under this section 

10 may be used for costs, subject to reasonable 

11 limitations as the Secretary determines appro12 priate, for reducing the number of dwelling 

13 units in the project. 

14 (B) APPROVAL OF SECRETARY RE15 QUIRED.—Any use described in subparagraph 

16 (A) of amounts for project reserves for a 

17 project assisted under this section shall be sub18 ject to the approval of the Secretary to ensure 

19 that such use is designed to retrofit units that 

20 are currently obsolete or unmarketable. 

21 (m) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 

22 definitions shall apply: 

23 (1) CONSUMER COOPERATIVE.—The term ‘‘con24 sumer cooperative’’ has the same meaning given 

25 such term for purposes of the supportive housing for 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

27 

•S 1084 IS

1 the elderly program under section 202 of the Hous2 ing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q). 

3 (2) VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN FAMILY.—The 

4 term ‘‘very low-income veteran family’’ means a vet5 eran family whose income does not exceed 50 per6 cent of the median income for the area, as deter7 mined by the Secretary with adjustments for smaller 

8 and larger families, except that the Secretary may 

9 establish an income ceiling higher or lower than 50 

10 percent of the median for the area on the basis of 

11 the Secretary’s findings that such variations are nec12 essary because of prevailing levels of construction 

13 costs or fair market rents (as determined under sec14 tion 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

15 U.S.C. 1437f)), or unusually high or low family in16 comes. 

17 (3) OWNER.—The term ‘‘owner’’ means a pri18 vate nonprofit organization or consumer cooperative 

19 that receives assistance under this section to develop 

20 and operate supportive housing for very low-income 

21 veteran families. 

22 (4) PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The 

23 term ‘‘private nonprofit organization’’ means— 

24 (A) any incorporated private institution or 

25 foundation— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

28 

•S 1084 IS

1 (i) no part of the net earnings of 

2 which inures to the benefit of any member, 

3 founder, contributor, or individual; 

4 (ii) which has a governing board that 

5 is responsible for the operation of the 

6 housing assisted under this section; and 

7 (iii) which is approved by the Sec8 retary as to financial responsibility; 

9 (B) a for-profit limited partnership the 

10 sole general partner of which is an organization 

11 meeting the requirements under clauses (i), (ii), 

12 and (iii) of subparagraph (A); 

13 (C) a corporation wholly owned and con14 trolled by an organization meeting the require15 ments under clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of sub16 paragraph (A); and 

17 (D) a tribally designated housing entity, as 

18 such term is defined in section 4 of the Native 

19 American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter20 mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 

21 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

22 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 

23 except where specifically provided otherwise. 

24 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ includes the 

25 several States, the District of Columbia, the Commstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

29 

•S 1084 IS

1 monwealth of Puerto Rico, and the possessions of 

2 the United States. 

3 (7) SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR VERY LOW-IN4 COME VETERAN FAMILIES.—The term ‘‘supportive 

5 housing for very low-income veteran families’’ means 

6 housing that is designed to accommodate the provi7 sion of supportive services that are expected to be 

8 needed, either initially or over the useful life of the 

9 housing, by the veteran families that the housing is 

10 intended to serve. 

11 (8) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 

12 meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, 

13 United States Code. 

14 (9) VETERAN FAMILY.—The term ‘‘veteran 

15 family’’ includes a veteran who is a single person, a 

16 family (including families with children) whose head 

17 of household (or whose spouse) is a veteran, and one 

18 or more veterans living together with 1 or more per19 sons. 

20 (n) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Of any amounts made 

21 available for assistance under this section: 

22 (1) PLANNING GRANTS.—Not more than 2.5 

23 percent shall be available for planning grants in ac24 cordance with subsection (c)(1). 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

30 

•S 1084 IS

1 (2) CAPITAL ADVANCES.—Such sums as may be 

2 necessary shall be available for capital advances in 

3 accordance with subsection (c)(2). 

4 (3) PROJECT RENTAL ASSISTANCE.—Such sums 

5 as may be necessary shall be available for project 

6 rental assistance in accordance with subsection 

7 (c)(3). 

8 (4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Not more than 1 

9 percent shall be available for technical assistance in 

10 accordance with subsection (l)(1). 

11 (o) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HOUS12 ING ASSISTANCE.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

13 for assistance under this section $200,000,000 for fiscal 

14 year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each 

15 fiscal year thereafter. 

16 SEC. 4. HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS FOR HOMELESS VET17 ERANS. 

18 Section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act 

19 of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) is amended to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(19) RENTAL VOUCHERS FOR HOMELESS VET22 ERANS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) ADDITIONAL VOUCHERS.—In addition 

24 to any amount made available for rental assist25 ance under this subsection, the Secretary shall 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

31 

•S 1084 IS

1 make available the amount specified in subpara2 graph (B), for use only for providing rental as3 sistance for homeless veterans in conjunction 

4 with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

5 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—The amount specified in 

6 this subparagraph is, for each fiscal year, the 

7 amount necessary to provide not fewer than 

8 20,000 vouchers for rental assistance under this 

9 subsection. 

10 ‘‘(C) FUNDING.—The budget authority 

11 made available under any other provisions of 

12 law for rental assistance under this subsection 

13 for fiscal year 2008 and each fiscal year there14 after is authorized to be increased in each such 

15 fiscal year by such sums as may be necessary 

16 to provide the number of vouchers specified in 

17 subparagraph (B) for such fiscal year.’’. 

18 SEC. 5. INCLUSION OF VETERANS IN HOUSING PLANNING. 

19 (a) PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS.—Section 

20 5A(d)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

21 U.S.C. 1437c–1(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘and dis22 abled families’’ and inserting ‘‘, disabled families, and vet23 erans (as such term is defined in section 101 of title 38, 

24 United States Code)’’. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

32 

•S 1084 IS

1 (b) COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

2 STRATEGIES.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 105 of the Cran4 ston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 12705) is amended— 

6 (A) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘vet7 erans (as such term is defined in section 101 of 

8 title 38, United States Code),’’ after ‘‘acquired 

9 immunodeficiency syndrome,’’; 

10 (B) in subsection (b)(20), by striking ‘‘and 

11 service’’ and inserting ‘‘veterans service, and 

12 other service’’; and 

13 (C) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ‘‘vet14 erans (as such term is defined in section 101 of 

15 title 38, United States Code),’’ after ‘‘homeless 

16 persons,’’. 

17 (2) CONSOLIDATED PLANS.—The Secretary of 

18 Housing and Urban Development shall revise the 

19 regulations relating to submission of consolidated 

20 plans (part 91 of title 24, Code of Federal Regula21 tions) in accordance with the amendments made by 

22 paragraph (1) of this subsection to require inclusion 

23 of appropriate information relating to veterans and 

24 veterans service agencies in all such plans. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

33 

•S 1084 IS

1 SEC. 6. EXCLUSION OF VETERANS BENEFITS FROM AS2 SISTED HOUSING RENT CONSIDERATIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi4 sion of law, for purposes of determining the amount of 

5 rent paid by a family for occupancy of a dwelling unit as6 sisted under a federally assisted housing program under 

7 subsection (b) or in housing assisted under any other fed8 erally assisted housing program, the income and the ad9 justed income of the family shall not be considered to in10 clude any amounts received by any member of the family 

11 from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as— 

12 (1) compensation, as such term is defined in 

13 section 101(13) of title 38, United States Code; 

14 (2) dependency and indemnity compensation, as 

15 such term is defined in section 101(14) of such title; 

16 and 

17 (3) a pension, as such term is defined in section 

18 101(15) of such title. 

19 (b) FEDERALLY ASSISTED HOUSING PROGRAM.— 

20 The federally assisted housing programs under this sub21 section are— 

22 (1) the public housing program under the 

23 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 

24 et seq.); 

25 (2) the tenant-based rental assistance program 

26 under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

34 

•S 1084 IS

1 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), including the program 

2 under subsection (o)(19) of such section for housing 

3 rental vouchers for low-income veteran families; 

4 (3) the project-based rental assistance program 

5 under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 

6 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f); 

7 (4) the program for housing opportunities for 

8 persons with AIDS under subtitle D of title VIII of 

9 the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 

10 Act (42 U.S.C. 12901 et seq.); 

11 (5) the supportive housing for the elderly pro12 gram under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 

13 (12 U.S.C. 1701q); 

14 (6) the supportive housing for persons with dis15 abilities program under section 811 of the Cranston16 Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 8013); 

18 (7) the supportive housing for the homeless pro19 gram under subtitle C of title IV of the McKinney20 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381 et 

21 seq.); 

22 (8) the program for moderate rehabilitation of 

23 single room occupancy dwellings for occupancy by 

24 the homeless under section 441 of the McKinney25 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11401); 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

35 

•S 1084 IS

1 (9) the shelter plus care for the homeless pro2 gram under subtitle F of title IV of the McKinney3 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11403 et 

4 seq.); 

5 (10) the supportive housing for very low-income 

6 veteran families program under section 3 of this Act; 

7 (11) the rental assistance payments program 

8 under section 521(a)(2)(A) of the Housing Act of 

9 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490a(a)(2)(A); 

10 (12) the rental assistance program under sec11 tion 236 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 

12 1715z–1); 

13 (13) the rural housing programs under section 

14 515 and 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 

15 1485, 1490p–2); 

16 (14) the HOME investment partnerships pro17 gram under title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez Na18 tional Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12721 et 

19 seq.); 

20 (15) the block grant programs for affordable 

21 housing for Native Americans and Native Hawaiians 

22 under titles I through IV and VIII of the Native 

23 American Housing Assistance and Self-Determina24 tion Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4111 et seq., 4221 et 

25 seq.); 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

36 

•S 1084 IS

1 (16) the low-income housing tax credit program 

2 under section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

3 1986; and 

4 (17) any other program for housing assistance 

5 administered by the Secretary of Housing and 

6 Urban Development or the Secretary of Agriculture 

7 under which eligibility for occupancy in the housing 

8 assisted or for housing assistance is based upon in9 come. 

10 SEC. 7. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR HOUSING AS11 SISTANCE FOR VETERANS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 

13 Urban Development shall, to the extent amounts are made 

14 available in appropriation Acts for grants under this sec15 tion, make grants to eligible entities under subsection (b) 

16 to provide to nonprofit organizations technical assistance 

17 appropriate to assist such organizations in— 

18 (1) sponsoring housing projects for veterans as19 sisted under programs administered by the Depart20 ment of Housing and Urban Development; 

21 (2) fulfilling the planning and application proc22 esses and requirements necessary under such pro23 grams administered by the Department; and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

37 

•S 1084 IS

1 (3) assisting veterans in obtaining housing or 

2 homeless assistance under programs administered by 

3 the Department. 

4 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity under 

5 this subsection is a nonprofit entity or organization having 

6 such expertise as the Secretary shall require in providing 

7 technical assistance to providers of services for veterans. 

8 (c) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.—The Sec9 retary of Housing and Urban Development shall establish 

10 criteria for selecting applicants for grants under this sec11 tion to receive such grants and shall select applicants 

12 based upon such criteria. 

13 (d) FUNDING.—Of any amounts made available in 

14 fiscal year 2008 or any fiscal year thereafter to the De15 partment of Housing and Urban Development for salaries 

16 and expenses, $1,000,000 shall be available, and shall re17 main available until expended, for grants under this sec18 tion. 

19 SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORT ON HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO VET20 ERANS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 31 each 

22 year, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

23 shall submit a report on the activities of the Department 

24 of Housing and Urban Development relating to veterans 

25 during such year to the following: 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

38 

•S 1084 IS

1 (1) The Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

2 Urban Affairs of the Senate. 

3 (2) The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

4 Senate. 

5 (3) The Committee on Appropriations of the 

6 Senate. 

7 (4) The Committee on Financial Services of the 

8 House of Representatives. 

9 (5) The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

10 House of Representatives. 

11 (6) The Committee on Appropriations of the 

12 House of Representatives. 

13 (7) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

14 (b) CONTENTS.—Each report required under sub15 section (a) shall include the following information with re16 spect to the year for which the report is submitted: 

17 (1) The number of very low-income veteran 

18 families provided assistance under the program of 

19 supportive housing for very low-income veteran fami20 lies under section 3, the socioeconomic characteris21 tics of such families, the types of assistance provided 

22 such families, and the number, types, and locations 

23 of owners of housing assisted under such section. 

24 (2) The number of homeless veterans provided 

25 assistance under the program of housing choice 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

39 

•S 1084 IS

1 vouchers for homeless veterans under section 

2 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

3 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) (as amended by section 4), 

4 the socioeconomic characteristics of such homeless 

5 veterans, and the number, types, and locations of en6 tities contracted under such section to administer 

7 the vouchers. 

8 (3) A summary description of the special con9 siderations made for veterans under public housing 

10 agency plans submitted pursuant to section 5A of 

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

12 1437c–1) and under comprehensive housing afford13 ability strategies submitted pursuant to section 105 

14 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Hous15 ing Act (42 U.S.C. 12705). 

16 (4) A description of the technical assistance 

17 provided to organizations pursuant to grants under 

18 section 7. 

19 (5) A description of the activities of the Special 

20 Assistant for Veterans Affairs. 

21 (6) A description of the efforts of the Depart22 ment of Housing and Urban Development to coordi23 nate the delivery of housing and services to veterans 

24 with other Federal departments and agencies, in25 cluding the Department of Defense, Department of 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

40 

•S 1084 IS

1 Justice, Department of Labor, Department of 

2 Health and Human Services, Department of Vet3 erans Affairs, Interagency Council on Homelessness, 

4 and the Social Security Administration. 

5 (7) The cost to the Department of Housing and 

6 Urban Development of administering the programs 

7 and activities relating to veterans. 

8 (8) Any other information that the Secretary 

9 considers relevant in assessing the programs and ac10 tivities of the Department of Housing and Urban 

11 Development relating to veterans . 

12 (c) ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING NEEDS OF VERY LOW13 INCOME VETERAN FAMILIES.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—For the first report sub15 mitted pursuant to subsection (a) and every fifth re16 port thereafter, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

17 Development shall— 

18 (A) conduct an assessment of the housing 

19 needs of very low-income veteran families (as 

20 such term is defined in section 3); and 

21 (B) shall include in each such report find22 ings regarding such assessment. 

23 (2) CONTENT.—Each assessment under this 

24 subsection shall include— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

41 

•S 1084 IS

1 (A) conducting a survey of, and direct 

2 interviews with, a representative sample of very 

3 low-income veteran families (as such term is de4 fined in section 3) to determine past and cur5 rent— 

6 (i) socioeconomic characteristics of 

7 such veteran families; 

8 (ii) barriers to such veteran families 

9 obtaining safe, quality, and affordable 

10 housing; 

11 (iii) levels of homelessness among 

12 such veteran families; and 

13 (iv) levels and circumstances of, and 

14 barriers to, receipt by such veteran families 

15 of rental housing and homeownership as16 sistance; and 

17 (B) such other information that the Sec18 retary determines, in consultation with the Sec19 retary of Veterans Affairs and national non20 governmental organizations concerned with vet21 erans, homelessness, and very low-income hous22 ing, may be useful to the assessment. 

23 (3) CONDUCT.—If the Secretary contracts with 

24 an entity other than the Department of Housing and 

25 Urban Development to conduct the assessment 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

42 

•S 1084 IS

1 under this subsection, such entity shall be a non2 governmental organization determined by the Sec3 retary to have appropriate expertise in quantitative 

4 and qualitative social science research. 

5 (4) FUNDING.—Of any amounts made available 

6 pursuant to section 501 of the Housing and Urban 

7 Development Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 1701z–1) for 

8 programs of research, studies, testing, or demonstra9 tion relating to the mission or programs of the De10 partment of Housing and Urban Development for 

11 any fiscal year in which an assessment under this 

12 subsection is required pursuant to paragraph (1) of 

13 this subsection, $1,000,000 shall be available until 

14 expended for costs of the assessment under this sub15 section. 

Æ 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS