998.541
. (a) California is home to almost two million veterans,
more than any other state in the nation, and with the winding down of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an unprecedented number of
California veterans will return to our communities, many in need of
housing, employment, mental health and drug treatment, and physical
rehabilitation.
(b) Unfortunately, California also leads the nation in the number
of homeless veterans, roughly 25 percent of the nation's homeless
veterans live in California, approximately 19,000 veterans. According
to the California Research Bureau, Los Angeles is number one in
terms of the number of homeless veterans followed by the San Diego
region at number three, and the San Francisco Bay Area at number
nine.
(c) Moreover, the face of the nation's homeless veterans'
population is changing as more OIF/OEF veterans find themselves in a
downward spiral towards homelessness and, increasingly, female
veterans and their children comprise more and more of the homeless
veteran demographic.
(d) With their higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder,
substance abuse, and unemployment, as well as the higher incidence of
sexual trauma experienced by our female veterans, current homeless
veterans, all too often, cycle in and out of our jails, hospitals,
and treatment programs, disproportionately drawing down services
without receiving the proper services to stabilize their lives.
(e) The Legislature must advance a comprehensive, coordinated, and
cost-effective approach to respond to the housing needs of our
veterans. Such an approach should leverage public and private
resources as well as align housing and services.
(f) Five years ago, Californians overwhelmingly affirmed their
gratitude to our veterans by approving Proposition 12, a nine hundred
million dollars ($900,000,000) general obligation bond intended to
help veterans specifically purchase single family homes, farms, and
mobilehomes through the CalVet Home Loan Program.
(g) As a result of the nation's economic crisis and state's
housing downturn coupled with the changing demographics of our
veterans, the Farm and Home Loan Program, as approved by Proposition
12, has been significantly undersubscribed. Five years since its
passage, the full nine hundred million dollars ($900,000,000) remains
unspent as does a portion of the five hundred million dollars
($500,000,000) from Proposition 32, which was approved by the voters
in 2000.
(h) Meanwhile, the need of veterans for multifamily housing that
is affordable, supportive, and transitional remains unmet and public
and private resources available for these purposes remain
underutilized.
(i) California voters should be granted the opportunity to
restructure the Proposition 12 veterans' bond program to better
respond to the housing needs as well as the changing demographics of
the current veteran population.
(j) The Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014
will restructure six hundred million dollars ($600,000,000) of the
existing Proposition 12 bond moneys to allow for the construction and
rehabilitation of multifamily housing for veterans and prioritize
projects that align housing with services. Even with this
restructuring of bond moneys, the act still preserves over half a
billion dollars for the existing CalVet Farm and Home Loan Program.
(k) The Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014
will expand housing and service options for veterans,
cost-effectively leverage public dollars, reduce the number of
homeless veterans and its attendant public costs, and place
California at the forefront of our nation's efforts to end veterans'
homelessness by 2015.