WHEREAS, As of November 2023, an estimated one-third of all homeless veterans in the United States live in California; and

WHEREAS, In 2022, veterans represented 7 percent of adults experiencing homelessness on any given night in California compared to 5 percent of California’s overall adult population; and

WHEREAS, Veterans face many of the same risk factors for homelessness as nonveteran adults, including low incomes, mental illness, and substance use challenges; and

WHEREAS, The rate of service-connected disabilities, as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, within the California veteran population in 2022 was 24.7 percent, representing more than 362,000 individual veterans; and

WHEREAS, The majority of veteran households are considered economically burdened, defined as spending more than 30 percent of income on housing-related costs, or severely burdened, defined as spending more than 50 percent of income on housing-related costs; and

WHEREAS, More than 320,000 California veterans live in homes with one or more major issues of quality, crowding, or cost, with cost being the greatest housing problem among veterans; and

WHEREAS, According to CBS News, the most significantly disabled veterans receive nearly $43,500 in disability income every year; and

WHEREAS, To qualify for a housing voucher, a veteran’s income, which includes disability income and a number of other factors, cannot exceed an average of approximately $44,000 per year; and

WHEREAS, Even though income limits for housing eligibility vary based on surveys of local area median income by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), veteran benefits are the same for every veteran in California and are subject to the same income limits regardless of locality; and

WHEREAS, According to California County Veteran Service Officers (CalVet), some localities with public housing agencies include disability exceptions, but due to the lack of consistency on this issue, a veteran receiving disability income in some localities may be left ineligible for a housing voucher solely based on their disability income; and

WHEREAS, HUD currently includes a veteran’s disability income when considering eligibility for housing vouchers, leaving the most injured and disabled veterans without access to federally funded housing; and

WHEREAS, The State of California provides an array of resources to assist veterans facing housing instability; the Department of Veterans Affairs offers support in areas such as housing, education, employment, health care, and advocacy and the state provides specialized resources for LGBT veterans and veterans of color; now, therefore, be it