The VRNA supports comprehensive federal legislation to help homeless Veterans
Legislation named for former Miss America, introduced in Congress

by Patrick Pellerin, Director of Legislative Affairs

"After meeting with Heather French Henry, Miss America 2000, and attending a special press conference on Capitol Hill, the Veterans Resource Network Association (VRNA) has announced support for comprehensive homeless Veterans legislation designed to end Veterans’ homelessness in a decade. The measure is known as the “Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act” in honor of the work the former Miss America has done for homeless Veterans.

“We certainly support a long-term solution to the problem of homeless Veterans,” said Calvin (Kelly) Ferber, president of the board of the VRNA, in a statement following the press briefing, “and legislation introduced by Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois seems to be an appropriate approach.”

Among other things, the bill creates within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) a 15-member Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans appointed by the Secretary. Members of the committee will include representatives of Veterans’ service organizations, advocates for homeless Veterans, housing experts, vocational rehabilitation experts, and other Veterans’ and service organizations. In addition, the committee will include representatives of the Secretaries of Labor, Defense, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development.

The legislation also requires annual reports about health care and mental health to the Congress by the VA; earmarks special purpose funds for any new mental health programs for homeless Veterans; earmarks $5 million for grants for the VA and other contract providers to develop programs for homeless Veterans for fiscal years 2001, 2002 and 2003; and requires the VA to produce a number of coordinated programs with other federal agencies to provide outreach to homeless Veterans.

In addition, the bill creates model programs, authorizes the VA to provide dental services, requires the VA to have mental health capability wherever it delivers primary care and supports housing for Veterans participating in compensated work therapies and a number of other programs.

In introducing the legislation, Rep. Evans said the VA has offered specialized homeless Veterans treatment programs since 1987. “The problem is not ineffective programs,” he said. “The problem is too few programs and too many homeless Veterans. If our goal is not to reduce homelessness, but to end homelessness among Veterans, we must do more. To succeed, we must expand existing programs and create new programs.”

Sen. Wellstone said he is sponsoring the bill in the Senate because “we can and must meet the goal of ending homelessness among our citizen-soldiers who have done so much for the nation, but achieving it will not be easy. It is a disgrace that one in three of the homeless persons living on our streets at any given moment may be Veterans who served their country so honorably.”

At our meeting, and again in the statement by Ferber, the VRNA applauded the efforts of Heather French Henry. In his statement, Ferber said, “During her year as Miss America, she challenged this nation to meet the needs of our homeless Veterans and it is an honor to support legislation recognizing her for what she has done and what she means for our homeless Veterans.”

We look forward to working with all involved in supporting this important legislation to help America’s homeless – and sometimes forgotten – Veterans.