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RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO ENACT THE PRESERVING OUR COMMITMENT TO HOMELESS VETERANS ACT, SENATE BILL 8 OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION THAT WOULD IMPROVE AND PROTECT A PROGRAM BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DESIGNED TO HELP VETERANS FIND PERMANENT HOUSING

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WHEREAS, according to the most recent information available from the United States Census Bureau, in 2017, there were approximately 18.2 million veterans living in the nation; and
WHEREAS, these courageous men and women served in the Korean War, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and every other operation that has involved members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and also served in times of peace; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (�VA�), led by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (the �Secretary�), is responsible for providing vital services to America�s veterans, which include health care services, community intervention programs, homelessness programs, benefits programs and access to national cemeteries to former military personnel and their dependents; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, approximately 38,000 of the veterans living in the nation were homeless or did not have safe and stable housing; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the nation�s homeless veterans are predominantly single men who live in urban areas, and who suffer from mental illness, alcohol or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders; and
WHEREAS, further, about 11 percent of the adult homeless population are veterans; and
WHEREAS, the VA and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (�HUD�) collaborate and provide the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (�HUD-VASH�) Program, which combines HUD housing vouchers and VA supportive services to help homeless veterans and their families find and sustain permanent housing; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, funding for the HUD-VASH program was threatened; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to protect the program from future budget cuts, on January 3, 2019, during the 116th Congress, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) reintroduced the Preserving Our Commitment to Homeless Veterans Act, Senate Bill 8 (�S. 8�), which was first introduced as S. 2750 during the 115th Congress; and
WHEREAS, S. 8, among other things:
(1) restricts the Secretary�s ability to convert HUD-VASH program funds to a general purpose program;
(2) prohibits the concurrent assignment of more than 35 veterans to a case manager in each fiscal year unless waived by the Secretary;
(3) requires case managers to be located within a reasonable distance of each veteran they are assigned to assist;
(4) requires the Secretary to enter into contracts with local service providers to fill case manager positions left vacant for more than 180 days; and
(5) requires the Secretary to provide case management support to a local housing authority, upon request; and
WHEREAS, this Board urges the United States Congress to protect HUD-VASH and other programs that help homeless veterans find stable, permanent housing,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Approves the foregoing recitals, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Section 2. Urges the United States Congress to enact the Preserving Our Commitment to Homeless Veterans Act, S. 8, or similar legislation that would improve and protect a program between the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development designed to help veterans find permanent housing.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to United States Senator Marco Rubio, the Chair and Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, and the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Section 4. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the legislative action set forth in Section 2 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2019 Federal Legislative Package to include this item.