Clinton's Bill Would Help Homeless Vets

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has introduced legislation that would create the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund to provide assistance to homeless veterans.

The bill, which was championed in the House of Representatives by Long Island Rep. Steve Israel, would allow taxpayers to designate a portion of their income tax to supplement existing homeless veterans assistance programs.

"We have an obligation to serve our veterans as well as they have served us, and it is unacceptable that so many Americans who served this country in uniform are living on the streets. This measure gives Americans an opportunity to directly help those who have defended their country," said Senator Clinton.

"It is unconscionable that America would send people into battle abroad and then allow them to sleep on sidewalk grates when they come home. Senator Clinton's sponsorship of this bill will help put an end to that," added Israel.

"The American Legion applauds this proposal. It is a travesty to allow citizens who have sacrificed for a cause greater than themselves to be abandoned to our streets," said Mark Walker, assistant director of the American Legion's Economics Division.

"This legislation is a great way to allow Americans to honor and give back to those who have sacrificed so much for our nation. There is no justification for our defenders to be living in the streets of the country they so vigorously protected," said Justin Brown, legislative associate of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, about one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. Current population estimates suggest that about 154,000 veterans are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year.