WHEREAS, In California, our collective efforts are reducing the number of veterans living on our streets, with a 9-percent decrease between 2020 and 2022, from 11,401 to 10,395; and

WHEREAS, While this feat is celebrated, there are still thousands of veterans in California who will not have a place to sleep tonight and perhaps many more who are on the verge of homelessness—7.5 percent of veterans in California live below the poverty line; and

WHEREAS, Homelessness, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, and food insecurity disproportionately affect veterans in California and nationwide; and

WHEREAS, California and veteran-serving organizations are working to implement the Veterans Support to Self-Reliance Pilot Program, which will provide much-needed support to vulnerable older veterans; and

WHEREAS, In fiscal years 2022 and 2023, County Veterans Service Officers assisted veterans with a total of approximately 261,000 claims generating awards of approximately $458,000,000, including $1,500,000 through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, to coordinate suicide prevention services for veterans and their families; and

WHEREAS, The Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program has helped produce over 100 affordable housing developments with 6,389 affordable units since 2014; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 326 (2023) and Assembly Bill 531 (2023) reformed California’s behavioral health system and modernized California’s behavioral health services system with funding dedicated to housing veterans who have behavioral health needs or substance use disorders; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, and other veteran service providers are also engaged in the process and helping to ensure veterans are a priority in the reform of the behavioral health system; and

WHEREAS, California must continue to educate providers and other valued constituencies about veteran cultural competency and expand their local and statewide networks to join with the former MHSA Coalition, state and local veteran organizations, and local public officials to ensure veteran engagement in local Behavioral Health Services Act policy and funding decisions; and

WHEREAS, The California Association of Veteran Service Agencies (CAVSA) is a consortium of six nonprofit veteran service providers working together to address the needs of California’s veterans; and

WHEREAS, CAVSA works with legislators, regulators, agency staff, and leaders in cities and counties across the state to advocate on behalf of struggling veterans; now, therefore, be it