Merkley y Wyden anuncian la obtención de asignaciones para ayudar a los veteranos sin hogar

Washington DC- Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that included in the Senate Military Construction appropriations bill is $320 million for the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program and $496 million for the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher program. These programs help veterans and their families who are either homeless or on their way to being homeless find a home. 

“Our veterans have stood up for us, and we must stand up for them,” said Merkley. “No one who has fought for our country overseas should return home to sleep on the streets or in a homeless shelter.” 

“Veterans returning after serving our country should be honored, not given a cold shoulder that consigns them to homelessness,” Wyden said. “These programs provide a lifeline to veterans and their families seeking a roof over their heads.”                                                  

SSVF and the VASH voucher programs are both crucial programs to help veterans and their families navigate the rental market. The SSVF program promotes housing stability among very low-income veteran families who reside in or are transitioning to permanent housing. The SSVF grants provide eligible veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits. The VASH voucher program provides permanent housing subsidies and case management services to homeless veterans.

El Senador Merkley completó recientemente un recorrido por viviendas asequibles en todo el estado para hablar con expertos en vivienda, líderes locales y habitantes de Oregón que se han visto afectados por el aumento de los precios de alquiler, la falta de viviendas disponibles y el aumento vertiginoso de los precios de las viviendas. Durante el recorrido, los defensores de la vivienda destacaron la importancia de los programas de vales SSVF y VASH para ayudar a nuestros veteranos a obtener la estabilidad que necesitan. 

The bill was voted out of committee today on a bipartisan vote. The bill will then need to be considered by the full Senate, and eventually to be merged with a counterpart bill from the U.S. House of Representatives in order to be passed by both houses and signed into law.