The House of Representatives passed on January 15 the “Veteran HOUSE Act of 2020” (H.R. 2398) by a vote of 362-31. The bill would allow chronically homeless veterans who have received “other than honorable” (OTH) discharges to participate in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. NLIHC supports this expansion of HUD-VASH, which could provide permanent supportive housing assistance for an additional 1,000 chronically homeless veterans. The bill will now move to the Senate for consideration.
HUD-VASH provides housing vouchers and case management services to veterans experiencing chronic homelessness. Currently, in order to qualify for these vouchers, veterans must be eligible for VA medical benefits, which automatically excludes many veterans with OTH discharges. OTH discharges are not punitive and should not be confused with a dishonorable discharge. HUD-VASH has reduced veteran homelessness by nearly 50% since 2010, according to HUD’s Point-in-Time (PIT) data.
Learn more about the bill at: https://bit.ly/30sLV39