Congressmen Al Green and Jim Ryun Introduce Bill to 'Build Homes' for Our Troops

(Washington, DC)--Congressman Al Green (D-TX) teamed up with his colleague Representative Jim Ryun (R-KS) to introduce HR 3186, the Build Houses for Our Militarys Enlisted Servicemembers (Build HOMES) Act, to provide more access to quality affordable housing for our men and women in uniform.

"Our men and women serving in our nations armed forces have made an admirable commitment to protecting this country, Congressman Al Green said. "As servicemembers, they take many risks and make many sacrifices in the protection of liberty both here and abroad. Just as they have made a commitment to us, we should make a commitment to ensuring that their families have a place to call home." 

Today, many military bases across the country are experiencing severe housing shortages. Currently, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers military basic allowance for housing (BAH) as income in determining if a person qualifies for low-income housing. However, HUD does not consider Section 8 housing vouchers as income for the same purpose.

If enacted, the Build HOMES Act would allow more military personnel to qualify for low-income housing assistance by directing HUD not to consider BAH as income when determining a servicemembers eligibility for housing. As a result, more federal incentives will be available for developers to invest in new housing construction around military bases.

"This is an issue of fairness. If we don't consider housing vouchers for civilians as income, then we should not consider equivalent vouchers as income for our servicemembers," Congressman Al Green said. "This is why it is so important that we revise the current regulations to establish equity in the system and allow our service members to qualify for the housing assistance they need and deserve."

The bill currently has 11 co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.