RED TAPE SLASHED TO HOUSE VETS: Following Advocacy by Mayors Across the Country, New Federal Guidance Issued to Expand Housing Access for Veterans

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LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Department of Treasury announced new guidance following advocacy from Mayors across the country to eliminate archaic barriers that prevent unhoused Veterans from being housed. When Veterans qualify for disability and other benefits, it is counted as their income and then they are deemed ineligible for Housing vouchers. No one who has served our country should have to choose between benefits and housing. The new guidance makes it so that disability benefits are not calculated towards income caps that prevent unhoused Veterans from qualifying for housing funded by the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit.

In August, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development issued similar guidance for its HUD-VASH voucher program, which provides housing vouchers specifically for Veterans. Both announcements are the result of sustained advocacy efforts by the United States Conference of Mayors Task Force on Homelessness, chaired by Mayor Bass.

"No person should live or die on the street, especially our homeless disabled Veterans that have fought for our freedom, because their disability benefits made them ineligible to qualify for housing. That's the old way of doing things," said Mayor Karen Bass. "Together, we are turning the tide nationwide on how homelessness is thought about and responded to. I want to thank our federal partners for their commitment to saving lives and will continue to do all we can to serve those who have so valiantly served our country."

In early May 2024, as Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness, Mayor Bass and former USCM President Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve led a bipartisan mayoral delegation from 18 states across the country to Washington, DC. The Mayors met with top Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to advance a national agenda to confront the homelessness crisis nationwide. The USCM Task Force on Homelessness went to Washington, DC with a four-part legislative agenda to combat homelessness. While in the nation's capital, Mayors pushed to:

• Expand Veteran eligibility for housing vouchers so that Veterans don't have to choose between their disability benefits and housing;

• Lift the cap on project-based vouchers to provide cities with flexibility to build more affordable and supportive housing;

• Increase the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 15% cap for public services to prevent homelessness; and

• Increase funding for Housing Choice Vouchers.

The announcement follows strategic actions and advocacy by Mayors, including:

• U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Task Force on Homelessness- As Chair of the United States Conference of Mayors Task Force on Homelessness, Mayor Bass is working with Mayors from across the country in advocating for solutions to end homelessness, including an expansion of Veteran eligibility for housing vouchers. Mayor Bass and then-USCM President Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve led a bipartisan group of more than 50 mayors from across the country to meet with key members of the Biden-Harris Administration, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives. While there, they advocated for this change in Veteran eligibility.

• Historic Partnership through ALL INside- Mayor Bass secured a historic agreement with the White House and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness as Los Angeles was selected to be one of five cities to enter in an unprecedented partnership called ALL INside, a first-of-its kind initiative to address unsheltered homelessness all across the country.

• Expediting Housing Access - Shortly after declaring a local homelessness emergency, Mayor Bass partnered with local housing providers including the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and the L.A. County Development Authority and helped secure waivers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expedite the process of moving unhoused Angelenos people into housing. In July, HUD approved the city's request to extend the presumptive eligibility waiver for another year by HUD.