Sestak proposes legislation for veterans

US Senate candidate, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA) announced legislation to increase commitment to help struggling veterans secure housing. Congressman Sestak's latest effort to assist veterans without shelter complements Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki's plan announced this month to eradicate homelessness among veterans within five years. This news hits close to the College community home as Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week continues this week.Secretary Shinseki has warned that the amount of homeless veterans may increase to 15 percent in the next five years. Sestak's bill provides greater assistance for veterans in need of the HUD-VASH (Housing and Urban Development and Vetarans Affairs's Supported Housing) Program.?? "The astounding estimate that one in every four homeless is a veteran is part of the result of years of inadequate attention to ensuring the economic, educational, and health security of our returning warriors," said Sestak, who retired from the Navy in 2006 after rising to the rank of 3-star admiral.

Lila Guy is a young single mother, recently discharged from the Army following a deployment to Iraq and a divorce. Guy returned from service with nowhere to live. Congressman Sestak's office reached out to the VA, and found Guy eligible for the program. Guy is now on her way to a nursing degree and able to care for her three children. In testimony last week before the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, Guy described her experience: "Anybody who has spent time on active duty and tried to integrate into civilian life will tell you it is a different world. The HUD-VASH program helps veterans to navigate this unfamiliar territory."??

The VA estimates 131,000 veterans are currently homeless. The HUD-VASH Program offers case management and supportive services to support stability and recovery from physical and mental health, substance use, and functional concerns contributing to, or resulting from homelessness. To enhance this multi-faceted initiative, Sestak's legislation increases the amount of assistance that HUD-VASH vouchers can provide.

Currently, participants generally pay around 30 percent of their adjusted income towards rent, and HUD subsidizes the remainder. Taking into consideration these challenging economic times, the bill aims to lower this to 25 percent.??

This announcement builds on Sestak's work to prevent incarceration among former service members. Many of these veterans become homeless following imprisonment when they often do not receive appropriate medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Congressman Sestak has been quoted as speaking favorably for the HUD-VASH program, "When our Vietnam veterans came home, we did not provide them the resources they needed. Now, many of them require assistance more than ever to deal with the after-effects of that conflict. In the early stages of our current wars, we underestimated and underfunded treatments for mental illnesses, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which are more prevalent than ever before and have contributed to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan ending up on the streets at a higher rate than those of any previous war.?? I have witnessed the success of HUD-VASH's comprehensive approach to assisting homeless veterans and we must enhance it.