HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRATION PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2009
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Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1171, as amended, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. Ranking Member JOHN BOOZMAN of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity introduced this bill to extend the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) through fiscal year 2014, and I am proud to join him as an original cosponsor.
I would also like to thank Chairwoman HERSETH SANDLIN of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and Chairman Filner of the Full Committee on Veterans' Affairs for moving this important measure with our first group of authorizing bills.
Madam Speaker, I am also proud that H.R. 1171, as amended, also includes an amendment that I offered in the full committee markup. My amendment is similar to H.R. 293, The Homeless Women Veterans and Veterans with Children Act of 2009, or what I refer to as HVRP-W.
H.R. 293 was one of several bills I suggested that House Leadership include in the original stimulus package and is part of what I call the Noble Warrior Initiative which has received widespread support from the VSO community. My amendment adds the provisions of H.R. 293 to H.R. 1171, as amended, to create a new grant program that complements the current HVRP program with a focus on homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.
As amended, H.R. 1171 authorizes a separate appropriation of $10 million to fund grants to community organizations that provide services to homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.
Today, VA estimates there are about 154,000 veterans counted among the homeless. With women comprising a larger percentage of our military, in addition to sexual trauma, women are increasingly exposed to the same stressors and dangers as the men and we are now seeing more women in need of homeless services including the training and employment services offered through HVRP.
Therefore, I believe we need to add the focus of the HVRP-W to make sure that job skill services are being provided to homeless women veterans and veterans with children. These two groups have separate and unique needs and wants from those of what we think of as the traditional homeless veteran population.
Here are a few facts from VA regarding homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children:
VA's March 2007 Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) contacted 38,667 homeless veterans. About 4 percent were women.
In 2008 VA and communities held 157 Stand Downs and aided 2,347 homeless women veterans and 1,327 children.
Last year VA's community based Homeless Grant and Per Diem program served 19,345 veterans including 1,277 women veterans.
VA's Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans treated 5,905 veterans including 242 female veterans.
The HUD-VASH housing voucher program for homeless veterans referred 8,000 veterans of whom 880 were women. 1040 veterans (male and female) housed through HUD-VASH had dependent children.
Madam Speaker as you may know, despite the headway in reducing the number of homeless veterans, there is still much more work ahead of us to end homelessness among our nation's heroes. I believe H.R. 1171, as amended, will go a long way towards this goal and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
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