Expand Veteran rental assistance programs
Recommendation
Congress should appropriate $13 billion over 10 years to expand rental assistance for Veterans with extremely low incomes. The Biden-Harris Administration has estimated that this funding amount would be enough to guarantee that all Veterans with extremely low incomes would receive a housing voucher.[1]
Background/summary
There are approximately 450,000 Veteran renter households who have extremely low incomes but receive no rental assistance.[1] According to a 2023 U.S. Department of House and Urban Development’s (HUD) Mandatory Affordable House Program report, many Veterans have the “worst case housing needs.”[3] This means they fall below the federal poverty line, spend more than half of their income on substandard housing, and receive no housing assistance.[3] Joint programs such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) initiative are well positioned to provide assistance to Veterans with both their housing and health needs. Specifically, HUD-VASH is designed to assist homeless and extremely low-income Veterans and their families by providing rental assistance, along with clinical and case management services to improve access to health care, mental health treatment, substance use counseling, and other supportive programs.[2] To provide Veterans with housing security and address this population’s health needs, Congress should approve the $13 billion in funding requested in the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Proposal to help expand and sustain critical programs such as HUD-VASH.[1]
citations
1. The White House, Office of Management and Budget. Budget of the U.S. Government – Fiscal Year 2024. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. HUD-VASH Program. Last Updated February 10, 2022.
3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mandatory Affordable Housing Programs. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.