Sen. Murray Fights to Protect Services for Homeless Veterans

Press Release

Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced The Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act with cosponsor Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), which would prevent thousands of homeless veterans from losing access to housing services. VA's proposed changes to the decades-old policy for homeless services would bar access for veterans who served less that than two years continuously, or who had an other than honorable discharge. This bill would ensure that those changes can never take place. Last week, Sen. Murray toured the Randall Apartments in Tacoma, a 35-unit complex that serves homeless veterans. She also met with representatives from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, local housing authorities, and community groups to discuss her new legislation.

"Our veterans made great sacrifices while serving our country and our commitment to them is especially important," said Senator Murray. "This bill makes it clear that our country takes care of those who've served, and we don't allow bureaucracy to dictate who gets a roof over their head and who doesn't.… If we ever hope to end veteran homelessness, we must do everything we can to reach this goal, and I want to make sure that the VA's policies are moving us in that direction."

"As we work towards ending veterans homelessness, it is imperative that we use federal resources to help our servicemembers and their families in need," said Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "Many of our vulnerable veterans saw combat and are fighting PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Instead of leaving these veterans out in the cold, we must ensure access to stable housing and other necessary services. This bill would codify VA practices that have proven to be effective in getting veterans off the street and into housing. I commend Senator Murray on her leadership and am proud to work with her on this important issue."

The problem arose last year when a legal review concluded that veterans who served fewer than two years or had an other than honorable discharge may not be eligible for benefits such as housing services. As a result, when the VA instituted the policy last year, homeless shelters and providers who receive funding through the VA's Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program were told to turn away new homeless veterans who didn't meet the length of service or discharge requirements. Had this policy been fully carried out, this could have resulted in 15 percent of the homeless veterans population being turned away, and in certain urban areas could have been up to 30 percent. Sen. Murray introduced emergency legislation to reverse it, causing the VA to temporarily rescind the policy change.

The Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act being introduced today will ensure that in the future, veterans cannot be turned away from organizations because they don't meet certain length of service or discharge requirements and that our country is fulfilling our promise to care for servicemembers and veterans.

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