EAST CLEVELAND, OH – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, outlined legislation to improve programs for homeless veterans and their families in East Cleveland today. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, about 12 percent of the adult homeless population is comprised of veterans.
“It’s our responsibility to ensure that every veteran has a place to call home and an opportunity to succeed,” Brown said. “That’s why I’m working to pass the Veteran Housing Stability Act of 2015 – which would make meaningful improvements to services for homeless veterans and give more veterans access to permanent housing. Even one veteran on the street means we aren’t doing enough to tackle this problem.”
Brown was joined by Royce Sheetz, a Cleveland-area veteran who stayed at the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) Men’s Shelter after a period of homelessness and who now lives independently and is fully employed. Brown was also joined by Andrew Genszler, a Navy Chaplain who is the President and CEO at LMM. Today’s event was held at the first home completed as part of the Veterans’ Affordable Housing Initiative. The initiative is a partnership between the Cuyahoga Land Bank and LMM, which provides permanent affordable housing for homeless veterans living in Cuyahoga County.
“LMM is committed to addressing long-standing problems with innovative solutions and the veteran’s housing partnership is a good example,” said Genszler. “Our homeless veterans have sacrificed much in service to our country and this partnership is just one way that we can honor and serve these men; supporting them on a path to self-sufficiency.”
The Obama Administration has made tackling veterans homelessness a priority and while homelessness among veterans has declined 36 percent since 2010, too many veterans remain on the streets. According to newly-released numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 47,725 veterans were homeless during a “point-in-time” survey conducted on a single night in January 2015. In Ohio, during that single-night study, 1,183 veterans were homeless.
Brown discussed how the Veteran Housing Stability Act of 2015 would increase veterans’ access to permanent housing options. Specifically, the bill would:
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