Washington — On Veterans Day, Congressmen Steve Israel (NY-03) and Tom Rooney (FL-17) announced bipartisan legislation that will help veterans organizations buy, renovate and repurpose zombie homes into housing for homeless veterans. The Housing Our Heroes Act creates a three year pilot program, funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which provides grants to Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to purchase and renovate these blighted properties - providing a pathway to homeownership for homeless veterans and taking abandoned rundown homes off the market.
“It is simply unacceptable that our veterans, who have sacrificed so much to defend our country, should ever be forced to sleep on the streets at night,” said Rep. Steve Israel. “This legislation will not only put a roof over our heroes’ heads, it will also transform unsightly zombie homes into renovated properties that will revitalize housing markets in many of our Long Island communities. Whenever we get the opportunity to eliminate two problems with one sustainable solution, we should act on it.”
“We owe every person who puts on the uniform in order to defend our liberty, freedom and way of life a tremendous debt of gratitude,” Rep. Tom Rooney said. “While we can never fully repay our veterans for their service and sacrifice, we have an obligation to try. This bipartisan bill will address multiple issues at once by providing our veterans with a pathway to home ownership while clearing the real-estate market of foreclosed and dilapidated homes. Our bill seeks to achieve the immeasurable result of restoring veterans’ livelihoods and pride, which are often lost with the reality of homelessness. Congressman Israel and I are working together to improve our communities and provide homes to some of America’s most deserving.”
According to RealtyTrac’s most recent U.S. Zombie Foreclosure and Vacant Property Report, there are 20,050 residential properties in the United States in the foreclosure process. In total, there are 1.5 vacant properties nationwide. In particular New Jersey, Florida, New York, Illinois, and Ohio have the most “zombie” foreclosures in the country. A zombie home is commonly referred to a home that is in the foreclosure process that is maintained by neither the lender nor the homeowner.
According to a 2014 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report, national veteran homelessness has declined by 33 percent since 2010. However, there are still an estimated 49,933 homeless veterans on the street on any given night in the United States, including more than 2,500 veterans in New York State and more than 4,500 in Florida.
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