Homes for Heroes Act
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) on June 7, 2006 introduced the Homes for Heroes Act, which would greatly expand access to long-term, affordable housing for veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that one in every three homeless adult males is a veteran. Illinois is one of seven states with more than 10,000 homeless veterans. If national estimates are true in Illinois, the number of homeless veterans in Chicago is 38,000 over the course of a year. Despite the tremendous demand for homeless services, the federal government serves only a tiny fraction of those who are in need.
Senator Obama’s legislation would help expand access to long-term affordable housing by creating a $225 million assistance fund so that community and nonprofit organizations can purchase, build or rehabilitate homes and apartments for veterans. The legislation would also greatly expand successful existing veterans rental assistance programs and create a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to coordinate services to homeless veterans.
To learn the current status of this bill click on the following link and search for “homes for heroes”: http://thomas.loc.gov
Posted on August 18th, 2007 by jill
Filed under: Homeless Veterans, Veterans Legislation
