For immediate release
Contact Dave Perera
dave.perera@mail.house.gov
202-770-7899
July 26 | Press Release
Rep. Barragán introduces bill to get homeless vets off the streets
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-San Pedro) introduced a bill that will get more vets get off the streets and into rental housing.
“Nobody who fought for this country should be without a home,” said Rep. Barragán. “We don’t leave our vets behind, and definitely not without a roof.”
The bill is the Housing Homeless Veterans Act of 2017. It prioritizes the allocation of rental assistance vouchers under the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program to areas of the country that have the largest populations of homeless vets with the greatest need for rental assistance.
Under the current voucher distribution system, rental assistance vouchers goes unused in some parts of the country while places like Los Angeles County use up their entire allocation by summer—leaving some vets without assistance.
“If you put on a uniform and risked your life for your country, you deserve all the help the government can give,” said Barragán.
“Rental vouchers are piling up, unused, while there are people in need, right now,” she added.
The bill empowers the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to reallocate to high-demand areas any voucher that hasn’t been used within 24 months of being allocated to a local public housing agency.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) and the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (HACoLA) have endorsed the bill.
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