|
 |
One Homeless Veteran
Is One Too Many
By U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Generations of Ohio veterans have returned home, settled down, started
a family, and made our state a better place to live. A grateful nation
should never overlook the sacrifices veterans make to protect our
country – nor should we ignore their struggles.
Despite this fact, some Washington politicians are threatening to slash
funding that keeps financially-at-risk veterans in their homes.
“Homelessness, joblessness…I’m not blaming anybody, but just want to
finally feel like my service counted for something.” John, an Army
veteran in Ohio who told me this, isn’t alone.
As a member of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee, I’ve heard
directly from Ohio veterans who have benefitted from a housing grant
program for veterans. The Housing and Urban Development – Veterans
Affairs Supportive Housing grant program provides rental assistance for
veterans who would otherwise sleep under bridges or in vacant
buildings.
Veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population. On any given
night in 2009, nearly 76,000 veterans were homeless. About 136,000
veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year.
Since 2008, 750 grants have been provided in Ohio alone to the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers to ensure veterans
like John have an address, a warm bed, and the basic tools needed to
secure a job and earn a living. That’s why the Veterans Affairs
supportive housing grant program is so important.
It is a service worth fighting to protect.
The federal budget isn’t merely a financial document; it is a
confirmation of our country’s priorities. We should not add budget cuts
to the burdens already carried on the backs of some veterans.
But that is exactly what the spending proposal put forth by Republicans
in Washington does to Ohio veterans.
The Republican spending proposal targets homeless veterans by
eliminating funding for this service. For several years, a grateful
nation has supported this vital housing program for America’s veterans.
Over the last three years, nearly 30,000 vouchers have been awarded to
homeless veterans.
We should work on a bipartisan basis to reduce the budget deficit. But
it is both wrong and senseless to abandon a program that enables
veterans to transition from the battlefield to meaningful work without
the barrier of homelessness. In fact, it is harmful to our economic
recovery to cut any program that works in an efficient manner to put
Americans to work, because the work they do helps grow our economy and
reduce our deficit.
As Congress works to pass a responsible federal budget, I will continue
to fight for a financial plan rooted in common sense and fairness. It’s
common sense to support veterans. It’s only fair that we fight for
their well-being.
These VA grants are not hand-outs. When servicemembers leave family
behind to protect our country, they have earned the right to resources
that help them ease back into civilian life. It is America’s attempt to
repay veterans for their invaluable service.
America’s veterans have faced other hardships in securing shelter. More
than 20,000 veterans, active duty troops, and reservists lost their
homes last year. In the last two years, the rate of foreclosure filings
near military bases has increased by 32 percent.
That’s why I called for all lenders to comply with the Servicemembers
Civil Relief Act which ensures that military families can postpone or
suspend certain payments so that active duty troops can focus on their
service. And I will continue to press the Obama Administration to
aggressively enforce the law and pursue financial institutions that
take advantage of our troops and their families.
Housing vouchers are a critical lifeline for Ohio veterans struggling
to transition into civilian life. As a result of the program, John in
Northeast Ohio was able to get back on track and will soon earn not
one, but two, college degrees. Ohio veterans have also earned the right
to return to civilian life with their basic human dignity intact.
We cannot afford to pass a budget that fails to protect the veterans
who have protected America.
|
|
|
|
