Congressman Al Green’s HAVEN Act is Approved as Part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015

(Washington, DC)--On Friday, December 12, 2014, the Senate approved modified language from Congressman Al Green’s bill H.R. 3743, the Housing Assistance for Veterans Act of 2014 (HAVEN Act), as part of the National Defense Authorization  Act (NDAA) of 2015. The modified language in the NDAA will provide $20 million over five years in home modification for low-income, disabled veterans.

“I do care passionately about veterans having all the resources a grateful nation can provide them to maintain their productiveness and role in society,” Congressman Al Green said. “Legislation to support our brave veterans transcends partisanship as well as ideology in Congress and should remain one of the top priorities for a government that asks so much of them.”

The bill establishes grant awards for installing wheelchair ramps, widening exterior and interior doors, as well as accommodating the functional limitations that result from having a disability. The grants will greatly assist veterans as nonprofit housing organizations are able to leverage more than $3 for every $1 in federal funding received. The provision also requires participating nonprofits to detail their outreach plans and match a minimum of 50 percent of the grant award.

“I’m proud to have played a role in the bipartisan passage of legislation that will help our veterans,” Congressman Al Green said. “I am especially proud of H.R. 3743, the HAVEN Act of 2014, which I introduced and was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015. The modified language from the HAVEN Act offers valuable assistance in rehabilitating and modifying the homes of low-income, disabled veterans.”