I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 385 
To establish a pilot program to authorize the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development to make grants to nonprofit organizations to reha-
bilitate and modify homes of disabled and low-income veterans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2013 
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, and Mr. 
MICHAUD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To establish a pilot program to authorize the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development to make grants to non-
profit organizations to rehabilitate and modify homes 
of disabled and low-income veterans. 
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 Assistance 
for Veterans Act of 2013’’ or the ‘‘HAVEN Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) DISABLED.—The term ‘‘disabled’’ means an 
individual with a disability, as defined by section 
12102 of title 42, United States Code. 
(2) ELIGIBLE
VETERAN.—The term ‘‘eligible 
veteran’’ means a disabled or low-income veteran. 
(3) ENERGY EFFICIENT FEATURES OR EQUIP-
MENT.—The term ‘‘energy efficient features or 
equipment’’ means features of, or equipment in, a 
primary residence that help reduce the amount of 
electricity used to heat, cool, or ventilate such resi-
dence, including insulation, weatherstripping, air 
sealing, heating system repairs, duct sealing, or 
other measures. 
(4) LOW-INCOME VETERAN.—The term ‘‘low-in-
come veteran’’ means a veteran whose income does 
not exceed 80 percent of the median income for an 
area, as determined by the Secretary. 
(5) NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.—The term 
‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 
is— 
(A) described in section 501(c)(3) or 
501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986; and 
(B) exempt from tax under section 501(a) 
of such Code. 
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(6) PRIMARY RESIDENCE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘primary res-
idence’’ means a single family house, a duplex, 
or a unit within a multiple-dwelling structure 
that is an eligible veteran’s principal dwelling 
and is owned by such veteran or a family mem-
ber of such veteran. 
(B) FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.—For pur-
poses of this paragraph, the term ‘‘family mem-
ber’’ includes— 
(i) a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, 
or sibling; 
(ii) a spouse of such a child, grand-
child, parent, or sibling; or 
(iii) any individual related by blood or 
affinity whose close association with a vet-
eran is the equivalent of a family relation-
ship. 
(7) 
QUALIFIED
ORGANIZATION.—The 
term 
‘‘qualified organization’’ means a nonprofit organiza-
tion that provides nationwide or statewide programs 
that primarily serve veterans or low-income individ-
uals. 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 
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(9) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 
same meaning as given such term in section 101 of 
title 38, United States Code. 
(10) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ means any or-
ganization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for the representation of veterans under sec-
tion 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) GRANT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a pilot program to award grants to qualified organi-
zations to rehabilitate and modify the primary resi-
dence of eligible veterans. 
(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall work 
in conjunction with the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs to establish and oversee the pilot program and 
to ensure that such program meets the needs of eli-
gible veterans. 
(3) MAXIMUM GRANT.—A grant award under 
the pilot program to any one qualified organization 
shall not exceed $1,000,000 in any one fiscal year, 
and such an award shall remain available until ex-
pended by such organization. 
(b) APPLICATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Each qualified organization 
that desires a grant under the pilot program shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such manner, and, in addition to the information 
required under paragraph (2), accompanied by such 
information as the Secretary may reasonably re-
quire. 
(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) a plan of action detailing outreach ini-
tiatives; 
(B) the approximate number of veterans 
the qualified organization intends to serve using 
grant funds; 
(C) a description of the type of work that 
will be conducted, such as interior home modi-
fications, energy efficiency improvements, and 
other similar categories of work; and 
(D) a plan for working with the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs and veterans service 
organizations to identify veterans and serve 
their needs. 
(3) PREFERENCES.—In awarding grants under 
the pilot program, the Secretary shall give pref-
erence to a qualified organization— 
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(A) with experience in providing housing 
rehabilitation and modification services for dis-
abled veterans; or 
(B) that proposes to provide housing reha-
bilitation and modification services for eligible 
veterans who live in rural areas (the Secretary, 
through regulations, shall define the term 
‘‘rural areas’’). 
(c) CRITERIA.—In order to receive a grant award 
under the pilot program, a qualified organization shall 
meet the following criteria: 
(1) Demonstrate expertise in providing housing 
rehabilitation and modification services for disabled 
or low-income individuals for the purpose of making 
the homes of such individuals accessible, functional, 
and safe for such individuals. 
(2) Have established outreach initiatives that— 
(A) would engage eligible veterans and vet-
erans service organizations in projects utilizing 
grant funds under the pilot program; and 
(B) identify eligible veterans and their 
families and enlist veterans involved in skilled 
trades, such as carpentry, roofing, plumbing, or 
HVAC work. 
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(3) Have an established nationwide or statewide 
network of affiliates that are— 
(A) nonprofit organizations; and 
(B) able to provide housing rehabilitation 
and modification services for eligible veterans. 
(4) Have experience in successfully carrying out 
the accountability and reporting requirements in-
volved in the proper administration of grant funds, 
including funds provided by private entities or Fed-
eral, State, or local government entities. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant award under the pilot 
program shall be used— 
(1) to modify and rehabilitate the primary resi-
dence of an eligible veteran, and may include— 
(A) installing wheelchair ramps, widening 
exterior and interior doors, reconfigurating and 
re-equipping bathrooms (which includes install-
ing new fixtures and grab bars), removing door-
way thresholds, installing special lighting, add-
ing additional electrical outlets and electrical 
service, and installing appropriate floor cov-
erings to— 
(i) accommodate the functional limita-
tions that result from having a disability; 
or 
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(ii) if such residence does not have 
modifications necessary to reduce the 
chances that an elderly, but not disabled 
person, will fall in their home, reduce the 
risks of such an elderly person from fall-
ing; 
(B) rehabilitating such residence that is in 
a state of interior or exterior disrepair; and 
(C) installing energy efficient features or 
equipment if— 
(i) an eligible veteran’s monthly utility 
costs for such residence is more than 5 
percent of such veteran’s monthly income; 
and 
(ii) an energy audit of such residence 
indicates that the installation of energy ef-
ficient features or equipment will reduce 
such costs by 10 percent or more; 
(2) in connection with modification and reha-
bilitation services provided under the pilot program, 
to provide technical, administrative, and training 
support to an affiliate of a qualified organization re-
ceiving a grant under such pilot program; and 
(3) for other purposes as the Secretary may 
prescribe through regulations. 
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(e) OVERSIGHT.—The Secretary shall direct the over-
sight of the grant funds for the pilot program so that such 
funds are used efficiently until expended to fulfill the pur-
pose of addressing the adaptive housing needs of eligible 
veterans. 
(f) MATCHING FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A qualified organization re-
ceiving a grant under the pilot program shall con-
tribute towards the housing modification and reha-
bilitation services provided to eligible veterans an 
amount equal to not less than 50 percent of the 
grant award received by such organization. 
(2) IN-KIND
CONTRIBUTIONS.—In order to 
meet the requirement under paragraph (1), such or-
ganization may arrange for in-kind contributions. 
(g) LIMITATION COST TO THE VETERANS.—A quali-
fied organization receiving a grant under the pilot pro-
gram shall modify or rehabilitate the primary residence 
of an eligible veteran at no cost to such veteran (including 
application fees) or at a cost such that such veteran pays 
no more than 30 percent of his or her income in housing 
costs during any month. 
(h) REPORTS.— 
(1) ANNUAL
REPORT.—The Secretary shall 
submit to Congress, on an annual basis, a report 
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