US MILITARY VETERANS AND HOUSING VOUCHERS

Through a wide array of persons claim to love their nation and willing to do anything his/her fatherland, only a selected few can go to the war front irrespective of what happens next. With such love, passion and above all sacrifices, these brave men and women do not only deserve accolades, but they also need recognition and of course, proper care while on duty and or retirement.

Housing Voucher

This is a voucher, which often spent on leasing a landed property. This is evident with Section 8 public housing in the United States alongside the universal housing vouchers. Championed by the housing choice voucher scheme, this program creates an avenue for families to move without the loss of housing assistance. In addition, they have an opportunity and varied choices to choose from anywhere in the United States.

This goes to full effect as long as the said beneficiary lives in the jurisdiction of public housing agency (PHA). Which of course is bestowed with the responsibility of issuing the voucher when a family tenders an application for assistance. According to a book titled Evicted, the US government issues housing vouchers to families below a certain income line. This enables them to pay no more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Lawmakers and the Housing Voucher 

While these housing vouchers are for both civilians and military veterans, thousands of such vouchers remain unused. Leaving a mouthwatering almost 38,000 potential recipients still living on the street and making lawmakers perplexed by the current situation. The complexity of this situation according to the Veterans Affairs officials is evident in

  • Hiring problems within the federal agency
  • As well as rising rent costs in areas of the country with some of the largest homeless veterans populations

With situations of this magnitude plaguing a nation like the US, some critics are of the opinion that, the national goal of ending homelessness among veterans will remain stalled and unachievable.

Veterans: The Quest for Safe/Permanent Housing

According to the CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in the person of Kathryn Monet, there must be clarity between investments in affordable housing with housing-first initiatives in order to achieve true success. While veterans have been living a less than comfortable life especially in terms of quality housing facilities, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Launched in 2008, was the Housing and Urban Development/Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. Since its inception, this program has been at the forefront of providing direct housing payments to veterans. All of which has been in a bid to provide a stable living situation, while creating an avenue for the system to handle other health and of course employment concerns.

Curbing the Housing Voucher Saga

The issues surrounding the US military veterans and housing vouchers were championed by the following reasons

  • Problem is a result of paperwork issues
  • The slow pace of federal hiring rules
  • About 650 case management positions currently vacant
  • The slow pace of federal contracting rules have made filling the positions
  • According to the Housing and Urban Development officials, federal calculations for the voucher amounts have not kept pace with local housing

Final Note

Should everything move on as planned and in the words of Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif. “The American government has a responsibility to abolish chronic homelessness for veterans. As such, strengthening the HUD-VASH program is a step in the right direction.”