In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Al Green (D-TX) believes that the passage
of this legislation would:
“improve coordination of services for
homeless veterans as well as require annual assessments that will help
prevent low-income veterans from falling into homelessness and those who
are already homeless.”
During the 113th Congress, this bill’s predecessor was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 420 to 3. It also passed the House by a 414 to 5 margin in the 112th Congress, 417 to 2 in the 111th Congress, and 412 to 9 in the 110th Congress — but it has not received a vote in the Senate at any point during those sessions of Congress.
Of Note: Homeless veterans
comprise as much as 12 percent of the total homeless population in the
U.S. While there are approximately 49,333 veterans that are homeless on
any given night in the U.S., an estimated 1.4 million are considered
to be at risk of homelessness.
According to a report from December 2013, there were about 700,000 veterans who were incarcerated in prisons and jails. In April 2015 there were over 507,000 unemployed veterans, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user Jayel Aheram)
Defense
