Housing Our Military Veterans Effectively Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CHAVEZ-DeREMER. Mr. Speaker, on any given night, there are around 1,400 Oregon veterans who go to sleep without a roof over their heads. This is heartbreaking and unacceptable. We owe it to our veterans to do better. They stepped up to serve our country, and it is our responsibility to ensure they are cared for in return.

That is why I introduced the HOME Act, which would lift veterans out of homelessness. To account for recent inflation, this legislation increases financial assistance for nonprofit organizations that provide transitional housing to veterans in need.

The financial assistance offered would be higher in areas with elevated rates of suicide among veterans. It also creates a new stipend for homeless veterans. This could be used to buy food, clothing, and even cell phones to help them communicate with family members and healthcare providers.

I thank the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for his support and the chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden) for his leadership on this issue.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this much- needed legislation. Together, we can empower our Nation's heroes and ensure they all have a place to call home.

I have been on this job for 10 months, and I do have hope that we will continue to move forward for our veterans and do everything that we can every day we are in this job to support them.

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