Homes for Heroes Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support to H.R. 251, the ``Homes for Heroes Act of 2015,'' which would amend the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs.
Our military veterans deserve our deepest gratitude for the courage and valor they demonstrated in service while defending the United States of America.
I support this bill strongly because it ensure veterans fair access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs, coordinates all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans, and betters serves as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Also, terminating the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Programs in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs would create more coordinated relations that will better serve the needs of our nation's veterans.
Mr. Speaker, 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.
In my hometown of Houston for example, between the years 2010 and 2012, the number of homeless veterans increased from 771 to 1,162.
President Obama and the Congress made a commitment to end homelessness by 2015.
However, even with all the progress this administration has made, until we have every veteran permanently sheltered in the United States, we have not succeeded.
I have always devoted myself in these efforts, as I know of the kind of impact assisting our heroes to get back on their feet can have on the well-being of our communities.
H.R. 251, the ``Homes for Heroes Act of 2015,'' is a positive step towards the right direction in our effort to support our nation's heroes, who have put their lives on the line for our protection.
Mr. Speaker, we cannot let this issue of homelessness continue.
I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in support of H.R. 251.
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