WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 3, 2016 – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham successfully included an amendment in a housing reform bill that improves housing services for veterans.
The House passed the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act today that reforms several programs run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Rep. Lujan Grisham included a change that requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to collaborate in order to improve housing services for veterans.
“We have several housing programs designed to help the more than 130,000 veterans living in shelters and transitional housing,” Rep. Lujan Grisham said. “My amendment requires these agencies to collaborate and work more efficiently to get more veterans into permanent housing.”
The legislation creates a Special Assistant for veterans within HUD to ensure veterans have fair access to housing programs. Rep. Lujan Grisham’s amendment requires the Special Assistant to provide recommendations to both agencies and Congress on how to improve coordination and housing services for our nation’s veterans.
“We can do much more to not only keep veterans off the streets, but also provide them with the tools and resources they need to stay in their homes, find employment, and live independently,” Rep. Lujan Grisham said. “These are the collective goals of many HUD and VA programs, including the VA’s Independent Living Program, which assist veterans to become more independent in their homes and communities so they never become homeless in the first place.”
