Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, released this statement following the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest set of policy changes to help veterans receive assistance under the HUD-Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, and improve their access to supportive housing developments.
“I applaud HUD and Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman for expanding access to the safe and affordable housing that our nation’s veterans deserve. Right now, more than 650,100 people are experiencing homelessness on any given night, with veterans often among those most urgently in need of support. Unfortunately, veterans experiencing homelessness who receive disability benefits can be excluded from housing programs because they exceed the income threshold. HUD has addressed this issue by raising that threshold.
“We know that permanent supportive housing, especially paired with the Housing-First approach, is crucial to ensuring veterans remain stably housed. This approach is not just about providing shelter, but also about providing the necessary supportive services to address other basic needs. By increasing the income eligibility threshold and excluding service-connected disability benefits when determining eligibility, HUD is ensuring that more veterans experiencing homelessness can access safe and affordable housing.
“As Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, I have long called for critical updates to the HUD-VASH program in order to adequately reduce veteran homelessness in this country. In fact, earlier this year, I led the effort to pass Representative Sherman’s bipartisan bill entitled the ‘Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act’ out of Committee. Similar to the actions carried out by HUD, this bill would exclude service-connected disability benefits from eligibility determination and ensure that rental assistance is prioritized for veterans most in financial need. In addition, just this past June, I led a bill alongside Representatives Mark Takano and Mike Levin entitled the ‘End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2024,’ which reduces casework bottlenecks and similarly expands eligibility for HUD-VASH. Congress must now pass our bills to bolster the important actions being implemented by HUD. I again applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for this critical action and look forward to continuing to collaborate with them to fulfill our duty to provide everyone who bravely served our nation with a roof over their heads.”
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