Letter to Susan Collins, Chairwoman and Jack Reed, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Senate Committee on Appropriations - Prevent Veterans Homelessness

Letter

Dear Chairman Collins and Ranking Member Reed:

As you consider the Fiscal Year 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we write to express our concern that some servicemembers with mental or behavioral health conditions are being inadvertently discharged into homelessness. We urge you to include language in your bill directing United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to work with the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that no servicemember is discharged into homelessness. We also request full funding for USICH so that USICH can adequately assist the Departments.

It is critical that any servicemember diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, or any other serious mental health condition can secure safe and affordable housing immediately upon separation from the military. Although DOD and VA have made progress in ensuring a warm handover during this transition period, we remain concerned both by the apparent lack of guidance to determine that a transitioning servicemember is at risk for homelessness, and the fact that transitioning servicemembers without a post-transition housing plan are not consistently connected with a VA Benefits Advisor. A seamless transition from DOD to VA resources is essential so that transitioning servicemembers may be directed to appropriate VA services, such as the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) programs. USICH is uniquely equipped to create effective and enduring systems that prevent veterans from experiencing homelessness. We must ensure full funding to help veterans and their families quickly obtain stable, permanent housing, particularly when mental health conditions are apparent at discharge.

We appreciate your consideration of our request. We know that you share our goal of ending veteran homelessness and thank you for your support for these important programs.