When: Monday, May 23, 2016 @ 11:00 AM
Where: Chrysallis’ Cosgrove Commons
815 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
Lisa Tepper Bates, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
Suzanne Piacentini, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Debbie Deegan, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
At 11 a.m. on Monday, May 23 in Hartford, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will call for urgent legislative initiatives in the Veterans First Act that seek to end veterans homelessness. Recently, Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, has led legislation approved by the Committee that would:
Expand assistance to veterans fleeing domestic violence
Establish case management programs for veterans most at-risk of homelessness
Authorize new legal service partnerships
Provide enhanced assistance to states like Connecticut seeking to maintain functional zero on veterans homelessness
“The new initiatives in our Veterans First measure offer breakthrough advances in ending veterans homelessness, especially for Connecticut and other states committed to common sense, effective steps. We must strive to not only provide shelter and temporary housing, but also permanent homes for our nation’s heroes. No veteran should slip between the cracks to become homeless—and these measures will help prevent as well as solve underlying causes,” said Sen. Blumenthal.
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs overwhelmingly approved these initiatives as part of the S. 2921, Veterans First Act, which also begins to change the culture at VA and to demand a higher level of accountability from the 335,000-employee department.