Rep. Cisneros Discusses Placentia Veterans Village and Southern California Homeless Veterans Care Amid Coronavirus on Hvac Forum

Press Release

Today, Representative Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39) discussed the current state of care for Southern California homeless veterans during COVID-19 and how it's impacting health providers, wrap-around services, and the development of Placentia's Veterans Village. The House Veterans' Affairs Committee held a bipartisan forum with the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans to talk about how to help homeless veterans impacted by the pandemic.

"There is not a single community in the United States that hasn't been affected by this crisis. As a Navy Veteran, I'm deeply concerned about the health and well-being of our nation's homeless veterans. They cannot be forgotten," said Rep. Cisneros. "The coronavirus has put a huge strain on our country's resources. Congress and the VA must work together to ensure our homeless veterans get the attention and resources they need throughout this pandemic.

Rep. Cisneros is a Navy veteran and serves on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and House Armed Services Committee. In the FY2020 House Appropriations bill, he secured $40 million for HUD/VA Supportive Housing for Homeless Veterans (HUD-VASH), equal to the 2019 enacted level. Rep. Cisneros is a strong advocate of HUD-VASH and testified on its importance to the Appropriations Committee last year to protect the program from the President's proposal to eliminate it.

Earlier this year, Rep. Cisneros voted for and the House passed two bills to address homelessness, including one expanding the HUD-VASH program to homeless veterans who have received an "other than honorable" discharge. Rep. Cisneros is a co-sponsor of both bills.

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