Title: Homes for Our Heroes Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Homes for Our Heroes Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress regarding public housing agencies for which vouchers for rental assistance were allocated. Additionally, the bill requires the VA to report on the medical centers of the VA to which funds were provided for case managers under the supported housing program, as well as other relevant information involving case management funding.
This bill also requires HUD and the VA to conduct a study to identify barriers to carrying out the supported housing program.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2399 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Homes for Our Heroes Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 
        and Veterans Affairs (VA) jointly support veterans experiencing 
        homelessness by providing permanent supportive housing.
            (2) The HUD-VA Supportive Housing voucher program (HUD-
        VASH) has successfully decreased the number of homeless 
        veterans.
            (3) Since the establishment of the HUD-VASH voucher program 
        in 2008, more than 97,000 vouchers have been awarded to public 
        housing agencies and more than 170,000 homeless veterans have 
        been provided with vouchers.
            (4) The number of veterans experiencing homelessness has 
        declined by over 30,000 since 2009, according to data from the 
        annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count organized by HUD.
            (5) Under the HUD-VASH program, veterans benefit from 
        affordable housing and matching supportive services, such as 
        mental health treatment, substance use counseling, and 
        employment training.
            (6) In the past year, some regions of the Nation have seen 
        an increase in the numbers of veterans experiencing 
        homelessness, particularly in high-cost housing markets where 
        housing is becoming less affordable.
            (7) HUD and VA allocate vouchers under the HUD-VASH program 
        based on need, but do not disclose the formula that determines 
        the allocation of vouchers.

SEC. 3. REPORTS.

    (a) HUD.--
            (1) Annual reports.--Paragraph (19) of section 8(o) of the 
        United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is 
        amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(D) Annual reports.--
                            ``(i) Information required.--Not later than 
                        the expiration of the 12-month period beginning 
                        on the date of the enactment of this 
                        subparagraph and not less often than annually 
                        thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the 
                        Congress, as provided in clause (ii), and make 
                        publicly available, information identifying for 
                        the preceding year--
                                    ``(I) the public housing agencies, 
                                in partnership with the medical centers 
                                of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
                                for which vouchers for rental 
                                assistance under this paragraph were 
                                allocated; and
                                    ``(II) the number of such vouchers 
                                allocated, disaggregated by the tenant-
                                based vouchers and project-based 
                                vouchers, as awarded by the Department 
                                of Housing and Urban Development.
                            ``(ii) Joint report.--The information 
                        required under clause (I) shall be submitted--
                                    ``(I) in a joint report by the 
                                Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans 
                                Affairs, together with the information 
                                for such year required to be submitted 
                                under section 2003(c) of title 38, 
                                United States Code; and
                                    ``(II) to the Committees on 
                                Financial Services and Veterans' 
                                Affairs of the House of Representatives 
                                and the Committees on Banking, Housing, 
                                and Urban Affairs and Veterans' Affairs 
                                of the Senate.''.
            (2) Report on historical data.--
                    (A) Information required.--Not later than the 
                expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the date 
                of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing 
                and Urban Development shall submit to the Congress, as 
                provided in subparagraph (B), and make publicly 
                available, for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2019 
                to the greatest extent possible the information 
                described in subclauses (I) and (II) of section 
                8(o)(19)(D)(i) of the United States Housing Act of 
                1937, as added by the amendment made by paragraph (1) 
                of this subsection.
                    (B) Joint report.--The information required under 
                subparagraph (A) shall be submitted--
                            (i) in a joint report by the Secretary and 
                        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, together 
                        with the information required to be submitted 
                        under subsection (b)(2) of this section; and
                            (ii) to the Committees on Financial 
                        Services and Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
                        Representatives and the Committees on Banking, 
                        Housing, and Urban Affairs and Veterans' 
                        Affairs of the Senate.
    (b) VA.--
            (1) Annual reports.--Section 2003 of title 38, United 
        States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(c) Annual Reports on Case Management Funding.--
            ``(1) Information required.--Not later than the expiration 
        of the 6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
        this subsection and not less often than annually thereafter, 
        the Secretary shall submit to the Congress, as provided in 
        paragraph (2), and make publicly available, information 
        identifying for the preceding year--
                    ``(A) the medical centers of the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs to which funds were provided pursuant 
                to subsection (b) of this section for providing case 
                managers under the supported housing program carried 
                out by the Secretary, in conjunction with the 
                Department of Housing and Urban Development, pursuant 
                to section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 
                1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19));
                    ``(B) the eligible entities with which the 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs contracted to provide 
                case management services under such supported housing 
                program pursuant to section 304 of the Honoring 
                America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families 
                Act of 2012 (38 U.S.C. 2041 note);
                    ``(C) for each such medical center and eligible 
                entity, the number of full-time positions provided by 
                such funding;
                    ``(D) for caseworkers providing such case 
                management services, the average number of veterans on 
                the caseload for a caseworker;
                    ``(E) the number of individuals who return to the 
                supported housing program after leaving it;
                    ``(F) the number of recipients of housing 
                assistance vouchers under the supported housing program 
                by gender; and
                    ``(G) the number of such voucher recipients by 
                service era.
            ``(2) Joint report.--The information required under 
        paragraph (1) shall be submitted--
                    ``(A) in a joint report by the Secretary and the 
                Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, together 
                with the information for such year required to be 
                submitted under section 8(o)(19)(D) of the United 
                States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)(D)); 
                and
                    ``(B) to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and 
                Financial Services of the House of Representatives and 
                the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Banking, 
                Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate''.
            (2) Report on historical data.--
                    (A) Information required.--Not later than the 
                expiration of the 6-month period beginning on the date 
                of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
                Affairs shall submit to the Congress, as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), and make publicly available, for each 
                of fiscal years 2014 through 2019 to the greatest 
                extent possible the information described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (G) of section 2003(c)(1) of 
                title 38, United States Code, as added by the amendment 
                made by paragraph (1) of this subsection.
                    (B) Joint report.--The information required under 
                subparagraph (A) shall be submitted--
                            (i) in a joint report by the Secretary and 
                        the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 
                        together with the information required to be 
                        submitted under subsection (a)(2) of this 
                        section; and
                            (ii) to the Committees on Financial 
                        Services and Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
                        Representatives and the Committees on Banking, 
                        Housing, and Urban Affairs and Veterans' 
                        Affairs of the Senate.

SEC. 4. STUDY OF BARRIERS TO ADMINISTRATION IN HIGH HOUSING COST AREAS.

    (a) Study.--The Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development and 
Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the United States Interagency 
Council on Homelessness, shall jointly conduct a study to identify 
barriers to carrying out the HUD-VASH supported housing program under 
section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 in areas 
having high housing costs. Such study shall--
            (1) be carried out with respect to not less than 15 housing 
        market areas used for purposes of fair market rents established 
        under the rental assistance program under section 8 of the 
        United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), as 
        selected by such Secretaries, that--
                    (A) have high rates of veterans experiencing 
                homelessness, as identified by the Secretary of Housing 
                and Urban Development;
                    (B) have high housing costs, as identified by the 
                Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
                    (C) have at least one public housing agency and one 
                medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
                located within the area; and
                    (D) include housing market areas for which fair 
                market rents are calculated using the Small Area Fair 
                Market Rents and include housing areas that are not 
                calculated using such rents;
            (2) for each housing market area covered by the study, 
        collect data with respect to only one public housing agency and 
        one medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        located in the area; and
            (3) identify for such high housing cost areas--
                    (A) the average amount of time elapsed between a 
                veteran receiving a voucher for rental assistance under 
                the program and signing a lease for a residence to be 
                assisted using such voucher;
                    (B) administrative burdens to the use of project-
                based voucher assistance under such program, including 
                any State and local regulations that make project-based 
                vouchers more difficult to use;
                    (C) ways in which public housing agencies leverage 
                private resources with public funds under such program 
                and difficulties developers may experience under such 
                program in the use of project-based vouchers;
                    (D) how public housing agencies and medical centers 
                of the Department of Veterans Affairs define the term 
                ``unused vouchers'';
                    (E) the process for reallocation of any such unused 
                vouchers; and
                    (F) any best practices for administration of 
                vouchers under the program in such high housing cost 
                areas.
    (b) Report.--Not later than the expiration of the 12-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall jointly submit to the Congress a report setting forth the 
findings of the study under subsection (a) and any recommendations 
resulting from such study.

SEC. 5. APPEARANCES BEFORE CONGRESS.

    Not later than the expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each appear 
before the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate to provide information regarding--
            (1) the formula used to allocate vouchers for rental 
        assistance under the HUD-VASH supported housing program under 
        section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 among 
        medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs;
            (2) how such Secretaries use existing data, including 
        requests from medical facilities of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs and partnering public housing agencies and voucher 
        utilization rates, to make allocation determinations; and
            (3) which functions and calculations are made by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs and which are made by Department 
        of Housing and Urban Development, in making such allocations.
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