I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3326 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a pilot program to 
build tiny homes for homeless veterans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2023 
Mr. KILMER (for himself, Ms. MACE, Mr. KEATING, Ms. LEE of California, 
and Ms. TITUS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a pilot 
program to build tiny homes for homeless veterans, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Housing America’s 
Veterans and Ensuring they have Needed Services Act’’ 
or the ‘‘HAVENS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON TINY HOMES FOR HOMELESS 
VETERANS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) In 2009, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
announced a plan to end veteran homelessness by 
the end of fiscal year 2015. 
(2) While the Department of Veterans Affairs 
did not reach such goal, the Department continues 
to focus on reducing the number of veterans experi-
encing homelessness. 
(3) As of January 2020, the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development estimated there to 
be 37,252 homeless veterans. 
(4) At the start of January 2020, 21 out of 
every 10,000 veterans in the United States were ex-
periencing homelessness. 
(5) Veterans constitute about six percent of the 
population of the United States but eight percent of 
the country’s homeless population. 
(6) Factors related to homelessness among vet-
erans include post-traumatic stress disorder, social 
isolation, unemployment, and substance abuse. 
(7) Individual housing units improve personal 
safety for veterans and reduce risks associated with 
close quarters living in a shelter. 
(b) PILOT PROGRAM.— 
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(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subchapter VII of chap-
ter 20 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 2068. Pilot program on tiny homes for homeless 
veterans. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a pilot program (in this section referred to as the ‘Pro-
gram’) to make grants to facilitate the creation of five vil-
lages of tiny homes— 
‘‘(1) across the United States with associated 
supportive services to allow veterans to live in the 
homes, maintain social connections with each other, 
learn skills, and receive critical counseling; and 
‘‘(2) in a manner that ensures the homes are 
energy efficient with low carbon footprints. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—(1) The Secretary may 
award a grant under the Program to any entity eligible 
for grants under section 2011 of this title, including— 
‘‘(A) a non-profit organization described in sec-
tion 501(c)(3) or section 501(c)(19) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986; and 
‘‘(B) a State or local government. 
‘‘(2) To be eligible for a grant under the Program, 
an entity specified in paragraph (1) shall submit to the 
Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and 
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containing such information as the Secretary determines 
appropriate. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE USES.—A recipient of a grant award-
ed under the Program shall use grant funds for the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) Construction of the village. 
‘‘(2) Supportive job skills services. 
‘‘(3) Supportive counseling services, located in 
the village or in the local community with transpor-
tation to the community provided to the veterans, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) case management services (pursuant 
to section 2022 of this title); 
‘‘(B) financial management; 
‘‘(C) counseling for addiction issues; 
‘‘(D) educational opportunities; 
‘‘(E) anger management; and 
‘‘(F) career and employment resources. 
‘‘(4) Any other use the Secretary determines 
appropriate. 
‘‘(d) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall publish a Notice 
of Funding Opportunity on the internet website 
Grants.gov, or such successor website, for the Program. 
‘‘(e) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under the 
Program, the Secretary shall give preference to an entity 
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described in subsection (b)(1) that proposes to carry out 
the project facilitated with grant funds to create LEED- 
certified units, including by using mass timber. 
‘‘(f) REPORTING.—(1) During each year beginning in 
the second year after being awarded a grant, each grantee 
shall submit to the Department a report on the activities 
of the grantee under the Program during the calendar 
year preceding the report, including the following: 
‘‘(A) The degree to which the grantee made 
progress toward meeting the long-term goals and ob-
jectives described in the application of the grantee 
and the performance by the grantee of the covered 
benchmarks described in the application. 
‘‘(B) The demographic data of veterans partici-
pating in the Program. 
‘‘(C) The details regarding the progress of such 
veterans toward achieving the ability to maintain 
housing and live independently, increasing skill levels 
and income, and obtaining greater self-determina-
tion. 
‘‘(D) Any other matter the Secretary deter-
mines appropriate. 
‘‘(2) During the fourth year of the Program, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations 
and Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep-
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resentatives a report comparing the outcomes of grantees 
under the Program to the outcomes of grantees under 
other grant programs that do not contain individual homes 
and a community center with supportive services, includ-
ing the following: 
‘‘(A) The average amount of time a veteran 
stayed in a tiny home. 
‘‘(B) The percentage of veterans who exit the 
village to permanent housing. 
‘‘(C) The percentage of veterans who exit the 
village with competitive employment. 
‘‘(D) The percentage of veterans who have a 
negative exit from the village. 
‘‘(E) Any other matter the Secretary deter-
minates appropriate. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of the 
amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
for grants under section 2011 of this title for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2028, $20,000,000 may be used to 
carry out the program. 
‘‘(h) SUNSET.—The Secretary may not award a grant 
under the Program after the day that is six years after 
the date of the enactment of the HAVENS Act. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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‘‘(1) The term ‘community center’ means a 
building of approximately 2,000 square feet where 
the veterans can gather for socialization and to re-
ceive supportive services. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘mass timber’ means any of the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Cross-laminated timber. 
‘‘(B) Nail-laminated timber. 
‘‘(C) Glue-laminated timber. 
‘‘(D) Laminated strand lumber. 
‘‘(E) Laminated veneer lumber. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘negative exit’, with respect to a 
veteran participating in the Program, means an in-
stance under which a veteran leaves the Program be-
cause such veteran violated the rules of the Program 
(excluding exits because of threatened or actual vio-
lence to self or others), failed to comply with the re-
quirements of the Program, or left the Program 
without consulting staff. 
‘‘(4) The term ‘State’ means each State of the 
United States, the District of Columbia, each com-
monwealth, territory or possession of the United 
States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘tiny home’ means an individual 
housing unit for one person of approximately 240 
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