Gov. Tony Evers and Veterans Affairs Sec. James Bond spoke an occasion for veterans within the state Capitol on April 22, 2025. (Photograph through Wisconsin Division of Veterans Affairs Fb web page)
As Wisconsin policymakers honor Veterans Day Tuesday, the state continues to grapple with diminished assets for its most weak veterans, those that are battling homelessness.
Debate within the state Capitol continues over the closure of web sites in Inexperienced Bay and Chippewa Falls for the Veterans Housing and Restoration Program (VHRP), which supplied assist to veterans on the verge of or experiencing homelessness, together with those that have been incarcerated, unemployed or suffered bodily and psychological well being issues.
Republican lawmakers lately proposed that the state create a brand new grant match program to assist assist homeless veterans. However some are expressing doubt that the invoice would fill the gaps left by the latest closures, particularly since it will depend on nonprofit organizations to begin their very own applications.
Coauthored by Rep. Benjamin Franklin (R-De Pere) and Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto), AB 596 and AB 597 would direct $1.9 million for use for a state grant match program.
To obtain the funds, a nonprofit group would should be collaborating within the federal per diem program, which presently offers about $82 per day per veteran housed to teams that supply wraparound supportive providers to homeless veterans. The invoice would supply state matching funds of $25 per day per veteran.
Finger pointing over funding continues
The closures of the Inexperienced Bay and Chippewa Falls amenities have been introduced in July after lawmakers selected to not present extra funding within the state funds for the applications. Each websites closed their doorways in September. By that time, the Wisconsin Division of Veterans Affairs mentioned it was capable of finding new locations for every resident, together with some who moved to a Union Grove web site and others who have been transferred out of state.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau had warned in a memo that with out funding the websites could be vulnerable to closing, although the latest response of lawmakers who sit on the funds committee gave the looks that they missed that warning. Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic lawmakers had known as for extra funding and the Division of Veterans Affairs mentioned workers had mentioned the difficulty with the chairs of the Joint Finance Committee. Nonetheless, one member of the committee, Rep. Karen Hurd (R-Withee), mentioned at a latest public listening to on the brand new invoice that she was “completely blindsided” by the announcement of the closures.
Whereas a handful of lawmakers have advocated for giving the division the extra funding to reopen the websites, the brand new Republican proposal takes a special strategy that will restrict the division’s direct involvement in this system.
Because the introduced closures, some Republican lawmakers have blamed the Evers administration for not utilizing cash within the Veterans Belief Fund to maintain the websites open and as an alternative sending that cash again to the final fund, even because the company has mentioned it might probably’t spend funds with out the Legislature directing it to.
“There’s cash within the account. It’s totally funded in the very same approach that it was funded final 12 months. [Evers] simply all of the sudden declared… he wasn’t going to make use of the belief account anymore,” Wimberger advised the Wisconsin Examiner after he launched the brand new proposal.
The Veterans Belief Fund receives normal function income allocations from the state, although it doesn’t perform as an enormous pot of cash that can be utilized for something. The funds have particular functions, equivalent to for use for administrative prices and the Veterans Housing and Restoration Program.
Based on Joseph Hoey, assistant deputy secretary of the Division of Veterans Affairs, the company did use cash from the belief fund to pay for administrative bills to maintain the buildings used for veterans’ housing in “good working order.” He mentioned it was a reliable use because the buildings are owned by the division and may very well be thought of administrative functions, however that wouldn’t be the case for different prices associated to this system.
“We can’t use that cash to pay [Lutheran Social Services] or to run the VHRP [Veterans Housing Recovery Program] as a result of there’s a separate appropriation for VHRP,” Hoey mentioned.
Wimberger and Republican lawmakers have additionally famous a 15% improve for veterans housing within the latest funds. The Division of Veterans Affairsnoted that quantity fell wanting the $1.95 million that was requested by Evers to maintain the websites open.
Unclear whether or not new proposal would fill gaps
Wimberger advised the Examiner {that a} grant program could be “so much less complicated” and require “much less of a direct monitoring” by the Division of Veterans Affairs.
Hoey mentioned he sees the proposal as “step one in leaving this as much as nonprofits and finally spending much less state assets on homeless veterans.” He additionally expressed concern about whether or not the strategy would fill the gaps left by the closures of the 2 websites in Inexperienced Bay and Chippewa Falls.
There are presently 4 entities that will be eligible to use for the brand new grant program: Porchlight Inc. in Madison, Rock Valley Group Applications, Inc. in Janesville, in addition to Heart For Veterans Points Ltd. and Visitor Home Of Milwaukee, Inc., that are each in Milwaukee.
“As you see from the areas of these organizations which might be offering these providers, they’re not assembly the necessity in different elements of the state, and WDVA was,” Hoey mentioned. “I feel we as a state have a dedication when individuals signal as much as shield our freedom, I feel we’ve got an obligation to look after them, particularly once they’re struggling.”
Hoey advised lawmakers on the Meeting Veterans and Army Affairs committee at a listening to on the invoice that the extra $25 per veteran possible wouldn’t be sufficient to encourage exterior teams to open up new applications. He mentioned it’s estimated that it prices about $139 per day to accommodate every collaborating veteran.
“$83 is barely sufficient to accommodate a veteran, not to mention feed them, present them with counseling and coaching that they should get again on their toes, and it’s not sufficient to make the applications work,” Hoey mentioned. “That’s why we requested for such a big quantity within the final funds as a result of these applications are simply slowly getting more durable and more durable to function.”
Lutheran Social Companies, which was serving to to function the now closed websites in Inexperienced Bay and Chippewa Falls, couldn’t try this work with $25 from the state, Hoey added.
“We offer the amenities for them, in order that they’re not all of the sudden going to, in Inexperienced Bay, open up their very own homeless shelter, as a result of they don’t have the ability,” Hoey advised the Examiner. “They haven’t any strategy to pay for it, and the [grant and per diem payment], even with the bonus, most likely wouldn’t cowl their prices. It’s wishful pondering.”
Hoey additionally advised lawmakers that it’s doable the cash wouldn’t truly result in extra funding for collaborating nonprofit organizations.
“Primarily based on our preliminary evaluation, we imagine it’s doable that each one or a part of the $25 state fee could be clawed again or offset by the federal VA,” Hoey mentioned. “It’s the way in which this system is written on the federal stage. It penalizes the applications for getting different state or authorities cash.”
Rep. Rob Summerfield (R-Bloomer) mentioned it’s a good invoice and pushed again on the concept solely 4 organizations could be eligible.
“We now have one entity in Eau Claire that will be eligible for this, however there’s no cash,” Summerfield mentioned. “They’re not going to commit til we truly put this within the statute, get the funding into it, so simply to say it’s simply going to be 4 entities — that’s incorrect. It, perhaps, is appropriate, however you can’t say that it’s going to be. It may very well be 10 extra. We may have ones in Superior, Lacrosse, Eau Claire, Inexperienced Bay, together with Milwaukee.”
Hoey advised the Examiner that the proposal is at greatest an incentive for personal organizations to use for the federal grant and begin a program from scratch.
“It will be years earlier than this might lead to homeless transition providers being supplied for veterans wherever apart from within the Milwaukee and Madison areas,” Hoey mentioned.
The company had beforehand mentioned it may get the VHRP websites restarted inside a 12 months if the state supplied the funding for the applications.
Requested in an interview whether or not he’s involved in regards to the prospect of nonprofit teams not opting into this system and having the ability to fill the current gaps, Wimberger mentioned, “Oh positive, in fact.”
“I want DVA would have used the cash we gave them, however that is, that is in response to the chief — Gov. Evers and his administration — simply merely refusing to spend the cash,” he mentioned.
Different proposals in limbo
Two proposals that would supply the Division of Veterans Affairs with funds to restart the closed websites stay in limbo.
A Democratic invoice, coauthored by Sen. Jamie Wall (D-Inexperienced Bay) , Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) and Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick), would supply $2.6 million for veterans’ housing.
One other invoice authored by Sen. André Jacque (R-New Franken) would supply $1.9 million.
Jacque’s invoice handed committee on Oct. 8 and is on the market to be scheduled for a ground vote within the Senate. It has not acquired a public listening to within the Meeting.
Democratic lawmakers have additionally expressed considerations about whether or not the brand new invoice will probably be efficient in filling the prevailing gaps.
“In case your goal is to repair the issue that we’re now missing providers for homeless veterans in northern Wisconsin” both a invoice drafted by Republican Sen. André Jacque (R-New Franken) or a Democratic invoice, each of which give funds to the now-closed amenities, “does the trick,” Sen. Jamie Wall (D-Inexperienced Bay) mentioned in an interview. “[Wimberger’s] invoice doesn’t.”
Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) mentioned at a press convention that Republican lawmakers had “walked away” from the options that will truly repair the issue and have been attempting to “rewrite historical past.”
“Our veterans deserve higher than political video games. They gave every thing for our nation, and the least we will do is guarantee that they’ve a secure place to stay, get well and rebuild their lives,” Emerson mentioned. “It’s time to cease pointing fingers and really repair this drawback.”
Wimberger mentioned he didn’t signal on to Jacque’s invoice on the time as a result of it was “untimely” when it was launched.
“It’s not like I’m against it… It’s not like a foul factor, however I don’t, I don’t really feel like I wish to be extorted to pay for a program twice this. This methodology simply solves the issue with out taking part in this politics with homeless veterans,” Wimberger mentioned of his personal proposal.
As for Wimberger’s proposal, Jacque mentioned in October that he was nonetheless “gathering info on what the likeliest actual world impact could be” if it have been adopted. He additionally mentioned he was ready to listen to again from the Division of Veterans Affairs on their plans to submit a emergency supplemental funding request to the Joint Finance Committee to deal with the state of affairs. He mentioned that “may very well be the quickest possibility for a constructive decision.”
Hoey mentioned the company is grateful for Jacque’s work on the difficulty.
“We vastly admire [Jacque’s] willingness to maintain going — to maintain attempting to get the funding for this program,” Hoey mentioned. “That is one thing that he believes in and it’s not lip service.”
Nonetheless, Hoey advised the Examiner that the company will not be positive the funding request would meet statutory necessities and be an acceptable avenue for offering the funding on condition that the Legislature purposefully didn’t embody the funding within the funds.
He mentioned the company is not sure the present state of affairs would represent an emergency as it will be used to restart a program, not hold one going, and the company can be presently grappling with a deficit. The company’s final such request associated to the veterans’ housing and restoration program, submitted to the Joint Finance Committee in March, was by no means taken up by lawmakers.
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