House Passes Wenstrup Legislation to Help Homeless Veterans

H.R. 474 reauthorizes at current levels the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) through fiscal year 2020 and clarifies that homeless veterans participating in the Department of Housing and Urban Development—VA Supported Housing program (HUD-VASH), and those transitioning from incarceration, are eligible for HVRP services The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) has two goals. The first is to assist veterans in achieving meaningful employment, and the second is to assist in the development of a service delivery system to address the problems facing homeless veterans. Eligible grantee organizations are state and local Workforce Investment Boards, local public agencies, and both for profit and nonprofit organizations. Grantees receive funding for one year, with the possibility for two additional years of funding contingent on performance and fund availability. HVRP grantee organizations provide services that include outreach, assistance in drafting a resume and preparing for interviews, job search assistance, subsidized trial employment, job training, and follow-up assistance after placement. Recipients of HVRP grants also provide supportive services not directly related to employment such as transportation, provision of assistance in finding housing, and referral for mental health treatment or substance abuse counseling. The HUD-VASH program is a joint effort between HUD and VA to move veterans and their families out of homelessness and into permanent housing. HUD provides housing assistance through its Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) that allows homeless veterans to rent privately-owned housing. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its health care system across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. More at http://gop.gov/bill/h-r-474-homeless-...