H.R. 1957 — End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2025

This section amends section 2003(b) of title 38, United States Code, governing case management for homeless veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs by (1) designating the existing provision as paragraph (1) and inserting a requirement that such a veteran, and who is determined to require case management, is assigned a case manager; and (2) adding paragraph (2) to require prioritization of vulnerable homeless veterans, including those with disabilities such as chronic mental illness, chronic substance use disorders, or chronic physical disabilities. This section also directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to submit to Congress an annual report on the HUD-VASH program (i.e., HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing under section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937) that identifies, disaggregated by locality and demographics where appropriate: (1) veterans served; (2) case managers' number, qualifications, and demographics; (3) care assessments covering staffing ratios, practices, contact frequency, resource connections, and licenses; (4) services provided; (5) voucher metrics including numbers requested, allocated, used, assigned but unused, and average use time; (6) percentage of voucher users receiving case management; and (7) barriers to voucher use.

This section revises the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which provides Housing Choice Vouchers to eligible homeless veterans receiving supportive services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, it (1) expands eligibility for rental assistance to veterans who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or receiving other housing assistance if HUD determines a HUD-VASH voucher is more appropriate; (2) requires VA to furnish case management services—via VA employees or HUD coordinated entry system participants—to veterans determined to need them; (3) prohibits HUD, public housing agencies, or property owners from revoking assistance, terminating tenancy, or imposing penalties solely due to a veteran's refusal of case management (while requiring VA to make recurring engagement attempts and provide services if later requested) or due to temporary suspension of case management for health and safety reasons; (4) authorizes HUD-VASH vouchers for veterans not requiring case management if specified in the program's notice of operating requirements; and (5) authorizes appropriations for administrative fees to public housing agencies to cover voucher administration, security deposits, and related landlord retention costs.

This section requires the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, not later than one year after the date of enactment, a report on homeless veterans served by the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program that includes the following, disaggregated by demographics if appropriate: (1) demographic characteristics of veterans served, disaggregated by whether they receive services from a case manager described in section 2003(b) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 2 of this Act; (2) number, qualifications, and demographic characteristics of such case managers; (3) assessment of types and quality of case management services provided, disaggregated by locality; (4) assessment of recruitment and retention of such case managers, disaggregated by locality and demographic characteristics; and (5) metrics on housing stability and retention for veterans in federal housing assistance programs, including those who participated in multiple programs and reasons for ceasing participation. The appropriate congressional committees are the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services and Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.