WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD), made the following statement after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, released the 2012 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR).  The report showed a 7.2 percent decline in veterans homelessness since 2011 and a 17.2 decline since 2009. However, the report also details a 1.4 percent increase among persons in families.

“Those who heroically served America in the military should not find themselves struggling to find a bed to sleep in or a meal to eat,” said Chairman Murray. “With new servicemembers returning home every day and the economy on the road to recovery, it is critically important to continue supporting programs like HUD-VASH and SSVF. I am grateful for the progress we have seen, because these programs have been working. However; I am deeply concerned about the data indicating an increase in homeless families. I firmly believe the success of our nation’s families and the future of our economy are rooted in the investments we make in basic necessities like education and housing. And I remain committed to providing America’s families and veterans with the sense of security and dignity they all deserve.”

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