Date: 2016-05-19
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. reclaiming my time. let me thank Mr. DENT and Mr. BISHOP for their leadership. and certainly the appropriators. the full committee chairman and ranking member. on the tasks that they have before them. We are not going to end homelessness for veterans if we do not invest in programs that will help them. My amendment is to ensure that we are reminded that these veterans can be rehabilitated and can be provided a new pathway in life. It is simply a continuing way to say thank you. Whenever I speak before veterans. whenever I speak before the United States military. I remind themthough they do not need to be remindedthat they unselfishly put on the uniform without question. They put on the uniform without question. and they followed orders. They followed the orders of the Commander in Chief. So now I hope that we. as Members of Congress. will follow orders and increase investment in the HUDVASH program allocated to communities with the highest numbers of homeless veterans. support all council agencies to promote and give incentives to local coordination or plans and have our local communities own these plans so that they will bring down the cost of homelessness or the size of homelessness to prevent or to provide. if you will. for the homeownership that is so very important that our veterans desire. [ 1015 But the most important point is. why dont we stand and salute and stand at attention and say to our veterans: we hear you. Homelessness must not exist among our veterans. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment. It reminds us of funding for veterans who are homeless. as well as for programs for veterans who are homeless. Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. It is Jackson Lee Amendment No. 350. Thank you for this opportunity to describe my amendment. which simply provides that: "None of the funds made available by this Act for the Department of Veteran AffairsBenefits for Homeless Veterans and Training and Outreach Programs may be used in contravention of the title 38. Part II. Chapter 20. Subchapter II and III of the U.S. Code This amendment will help ensure that the rate of homelessness among veterans in the United States does not increase. I thank Subcommittee Chairman DENT and Ranking Member BISHOP for their hard work in shepherding this important legislation to the floor. I offer the Jackson Lee Amendment because I believe reducing and eliminating homelessness among veterans. those who risked their lives to protect our freedom. should also be one of the nations highest priorities. Homelessness among the American veteran population is on the rise in the United States and we must be proactive in giving back to those who have given so much to us. My amendment will help remind us of our obligation to provide our veterans the assistance needed to avoid homelessness. which includes adequately funding for programs Veterans Administration Supportive Housing (VASH) that provide casemanagement services. adequate housing facilities. mental health support. and address other areas that contribute to veteran homelessness. VASH is a jointlyadministered permanent supportive housing program for disabled Veterans experiencing homelessness in which VA medical Centers provide referrals and case management while Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) administer the Section 8 housing vouchers. Mr. Chair. our veterans deserve the best services available. and I believe that we could be doing much more for them. Today. in our country. there are approximately 107.000 veterans (male and female) who are homeless on any given night. And perhaps twice as many (200.000) experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty. lack of support from family and friends. and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing. While significant progress has been made. ending homelessness among veterans remains a big challenge. In my hometown of Houston for example. between the years 2010 and 2012. the number of homeless veterans increased from 771 to 1.162. We must remain vigilant and continue to fight for those who put on the uniform and fought for us. Providing a home for veterans to come home to every night is the very least we can do. Mr. Chair. programs like VASH have succeeded in changing lives. In 2012 alone. 35.905 veterans lived in the public housing provided by VASH. I have seen the impact of such grants in my home state of Texas. and within my congressional district in Houston. and I am sure that this funding has positively impacted many communities across this country. In Texas. there are committed groups in Houston. working to eradicate the issue of homelessness. For example. the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center has been involved in changing veterans lives in a mighty way by providing Veterans and their families with access to affordable housing and medical services that will help them get back on their feet. Mr. Chair. we cannot let this issue of homelessness continue. I urge my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee Amendment and commit ourselves to the hard but necessary work of ending veteran homelessness in America. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.