Posted: | May 9, 2019 11:49 AM |
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From: | Representative Carol Hill-Evans and Rep. Isabella V. Fitzgerald |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Preventing Veterans’ Homelessness Act |
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that there are almost 1,000 homeless veterans in Pennsylvania. While that number has decreased over the past five years, there is more that we can do to help veterans in need. We are partnering with Senator Blake to introduce legislation that would bring the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency together to provide assistance to veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The DMVA would implement a program to identify these veterans, while the PHFA would establish a housing ombudsman to advocate for homeless veterans in the housing market. Under this program, eligible applicants would receive a maximum of $1,000 per month in the form of a rental voucher for a period of 12 months. This legislation would appropriate $12 million annually for the purposes of providing financial assistance to veterans, which is enough to aid every homeless veteran in the Commonwealth. The DMVA may require veterans to participate in mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, job training, or other supportive programs as a condition of participation. Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1933