Homes for Heroes Act of 2007

HOMES FOR HEROES ACT OF 2007 -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 10, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. BETTY McCOLLUM
OF MINNESOTA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2008

* Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Homes for Heroes Act, H.R. 3329.

* The Homes for Heroes Act establishes a $200 million a year assistance program for supportive housing and services for low income homeless veterans and their families at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, and requires at least 20,000 rental housing vouchers a year be made available to homeless veterans and their families. This important bill also creates a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within HUD and requires HUD to submit an annual report to Congress on housing needs for veterans.

* Veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population and the VA is the largest single provider of direct services to homeless veterans. According to the VA, the number of homeless veterans has declined 21 percent in the past year, however there are still 154,000 homeless veterans including 1,500 from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

* The men and women of the armed forces who have served this country with honor deserve the support and resources they need to overcome mental, physical, and emotional wounds caused by war. Congress must continue fighting to ensure they receive the highest level of care and compensation they have so bravely earned serving this country.

* I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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