Cliff Stearns: “Mr. Speaker, studies indicate that anywhere from 500,000 to 3 million American men and women are homeless in any given…”

“Mr. Speaker, studies indicate that anywhere from 500,000 to 3 million American men and women are homeless in any given day. That is a very troubling problem, and I commend the work being done by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) and all the Members of the House subcommittee for what they are doing to correct this. I applaud their efforts in bringing H.R. 217 to the floor, the Homeless Housing Programs Consolidation and Flexibility Act we have today. I would like, however, to urge that we also focus much more attention on the largest group of these homeless individuals. It is shocking to realize that veterans of services in our Armed Forces represent approximately one-third of all homeless men. Provisions of H.R. 217 do acknowledge the plight of veterans among the ranks of the homeless, but while this bill is a good start, we really must do more for our veterans.”