With the COVID-19 public health emergency now officially concluded, congressional Democrats are pushing to revive pandemic-related powers that allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand support services for homeless veterans.
At a news conference Friday at the Washington, D.C., chapter of a nonprofit that provides housing and employment assistance to veterans, Democrats on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and advocates for homeless veterans warned that fewer veterans will be able to find help now that emergency authorities have ended and called on Republicans to move forward with a bill to renew the aid.
“The rate that we receive for servicing a homeless veteran went from, last night, $164.67 to $64.52,” said Clifton Lewis, executive director of U.S. Vets D.C., where the press conference was held. “How can you provide services to a veteran with just $64.52? Housing, food, case management services — all the things that we do to service homeless veterans.”
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Organizations that help homeless veterans nationwide are now “stuck with the decision [of] what resources do I cut,” Lewis added.
First declared 1,195 days ago, the COVID-19 public health emergency in the United States formally ended just before midnight Thursday. While the virus continues to circulate — the VA reported 2,200 active cases at its facilities as of Friday morning — the…
