LEO studied the federal HUD-VASH supportive housing voucher program for homeless veterans and found that for every voucher distributed, one fewer veteran is living on the streets. Co-founder Bill Evans and Catholic Charities USA held a congressional policy briefing to share these results with lawmakers as they consider funding for programs that support veterans.
As a result of the briefing, CCUSA was asked to draft a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees explaining the plight of veteran homelessness, citing LEO’s research, and requesting $42M for HUD-VASH in the 2020 federal budget. Eighty-two congressional members signed the letter advocating for program funding.
This research continues to influence conversations on the Hill, and potential legislation is being drafted that, if passed, would provide every homeless veteran in the U.S. with a housing voucher.