Submitted to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, House Committee on Appropriations -- April 2005.

Introduction

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans appreciates the opportunity to submit recommendations on FY 2006 appropriations for and program management issues related to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV), established in 1990, is a nonprofit organization with the mission of ending homelessness among veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers.  NCHV’s nearly 250 member organizations in 46 states and the District of Columbia provide housing and supportive services to homeless veterans and their families, such as street outreach, drop-in centers, emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent housing, recuperative care, hospice care, food and clothing, primary health care, addiction and mental health services, employment supports, educational assistance, legal aid and benefit advocacy.

More than 250,000 veterans are homeless on any given night; more than 500,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year.  Conservatively, one of every three homeless adult males sleeping in a doorway, alley, box, car, barn or other location not fit for human habitation in our urban, suburban, and rural communities has served our nation in the Armed Forces. Homeless veterans are mostly males (2 percent are females). 54 percent are people of color.  The vast majority are single, although service providers are reporting an increased number of veterans with children seeking their assistance.  45 percent have a mental illness.  50 percent have an addiction.

America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America, Afghanistan, and Iraq.  47 percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era.  More than 67 percent served our nation for at least three years and 33 percent were stationed in a war zone.

Male veterans are twice as likely to become homeless as their non-veteran counterparts, and female veterans are about four times as likely to become homeless as their non-veteran counterparts.  Like their non-veteran counterparts, veterans are at high risk of homelessness due to extremely low or no income, dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing, and lack of access to health care.  In addition to these shared factors, a large number of at-risk veterans live with post traumatic stress disorders and addictions acquired during or exacerbated by their military service.  In addition, their family and social networks are fractured due to lengthy periods away from their communities of origin.  These problems are directly traceable to their experience in military service or to their return to civilian society without appropriate transitional supports.

Contrary to the perceptions that our nation’s veterans are well-supported, in fact many go without the services they require and are eligible to receive.  One and a half million veterans have incomes that fall below the federal poverty level.  Neither the VA, state or county departments of veteran affairs, nor community-based and faith-based service providers are adequately resourced to respond to these veterans’ health, housing, and supportive services needs.  The VA plays only a limited role in providing employment services to veterans, administering just one small supported employment program for veterans with serious disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Labor and state and local workforce agencies bear primary responsibility for ensuring that veterans are provided opportunities to prepare for and obtain productive employment.  Accordingly, we urge Congress to provide full funding for the programs of the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) in order to ensure that our nation’s workforce services system is equipped to fulfill their obligations to our nation’s veterans.

FY 2006 Appropriation Recommendation—Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program

The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), within the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), provides competitive grants to community-based, faith-based, and public organizations to offer outreach, job placement and supportive services to homeless veterans.  HVRP is the primary employment services program accessible by homeless veterans and the only targeted employment program for any homeless subpopulation.  Homeless veterans have many additional barriers to employment than non-homeless veterans due to their lack of housing.  HVRP grantees remove those barriers through specialized supports unavailable through other employment services programs.  Grantees are able to place HVRP participants into employment for $2,100 per placement, a tiny investment for moving a veteran out of homelessness, and off of dependency on public programs.

DOL estimates that 14,750 homeless veterans will be served through HVRP at the FY 2005 appropriation level of $21 million.  This figure represents just three percent of the overall homeless veteran population, which the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates numbers more than 500,000 over the course of a year.  An appropriation at the authorized level of $50 million would enable HVRP grantees to reach approximately 24,000 homeless veterans.

Additionally, HVRP is being used as the account to fund a joint Department of Labor and Department of Veterans Affairs initiative authorized by Congress to assist veterans incarcerated in their reentry to the community.  This decision essentially adds a new purpose to the HVRP program, for which additional funds are needed.

We urge Congress to appropriate at least $50 million for HVRP in FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations legislation.

FY 2006 Appropriation Recommendation—Veterans Workforce Investment Program

The Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP), within the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), provides grants to states and community-based, faith-based, and local public organizations to offer workforce services targeted to veterans with service connected disabilities, with active duty experience in a war or campaign, recently separated from the service, or facing significant barriers to employment (including homelessness).  At least 80 percent of total VWIP funds are distributed via competition.  VETS may reserve 20 percent of total VWIP funds for discretionary grants.  VETS uses these discretionary funds for studies, demonstration projects, and additional funding to supplement competitive grants.  The FY 2005 appropriation for VWIP is $8.5 million.

Both those agencies that receive VWIP funds and those hoping to apply face the problem of resource scarcity.  Due to funding limitations, agencies and organizations in less than half of the states receive VWIP funds.  The type of targeted assistance that VWIP offers is clearly needed by veterans in all states.  Additionally, caps on the size of grant awards make it difficult for existing grantees to recruit and retain staff.  This limits program effectiveness and the collaborative process.  Sadly, the President’s FY 2006 request is a step backward, reversing the $1 million increase that Congress appropriated just last year.

We urge Congress to appropriate at least $33.5 million for VWIP in FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations legislation.

Conclusion

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