WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) hearing, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) asked the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Scott Turner, about housing issues facing veterans and foster youth. Congressman Gonzales also received a commitment from HUD Secretary Turner to visit Texas' 23rd Congressional District. 

Transcript lightly edited for clarity

Congressman Gonzales: I’m a military veteran. I served 20 years in the military. Chairman Womack is a veteran…Zinke is a veteran. My question is on homeless veterans. One of the issues I care deeply about is homeless veterans. Back in 2024, HUD identified that on any given night, there are more than 32,000 homeless veterans. That’s 32,000 too many. This issue hits close to home in my district, in rural parts like Alpine and Van Horn, where there’s little to no affordable housing supply, and in urban areas like San Antonio and El Paso, the housing availability for homeless veterans through HUD is often substandard or inadequate. 

Secretary Turner, would you be willing to visit my district so we can work together on this issue and find solutions to address the challenges facing both rural and urban homeless veterans? 

HUD Secretary Turner: Yes, sir. I do commit to visiting you and your district to come up with these viable solutions, and also working with my colleague, Secretary Collins, as it pertains to veterans and veterans’ homelessness. 

Congressman Gonzales: Thank you for that. A comment on the Community Development Block Grants. The Community Development Block Grants have been a vital tool in my district, especially in the colonias. I mean, these are communities that don’t have running water. It’s absolutely atrocious, the conditions they’re in. They’re in predominantly rural, unincorporated communities that often lack even basic infrastructure like running water, waste systems, electricity, and paved roads. But I’d also urge HUD to take a serious look at preserving this program or making sure that it just isn’t completely removed, with the right safeguards in place. I believe we’ve got to find the waste and the abuse, and I love the idea of, how do you change it, right? If it’s not working, how do you fix it? To that, continuing to find critical infrastructure improvements in this community through that program is important. 

My next question is on foster youth. One of the things I was encouraged to see in HUD’s budget request was the inclusion of $25 million for Foster Youth to Independence grants. As a member of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I recognize how critical these programs are for helping youth transition out of the foster care system. Last year, I passed a bill in the House — the “Find and Protect Foster Youth Act” — so clearly it’s important. 

My question is this: Is HUD actively helping to track the number of foster youth who experience homelessness, and what steps is HUD taking to ensure vulnerable populations don’t fall through these cracks? 

HUD Secretary Turner: We too are glad and excited that we have money in the budget to make sure that our youth that are aging out of foster care have a solid ground to land on. As we know, being in foster care is very difficult for our youth, and when I was in the House of Representatives, sitting on the committee dealing with foster care and our youth in foster care, so I too have a heart for this, and am so happy to be working with the First Lady and her team and you and your team on how we help, from a HUD perspective, these youth that are aging out of foster care to make sure that they have safe and sustainable places to stay and get on a good trajectory for their lives. 

Congressman Gonzales: I appreciate you making it a priority. Once again, I like the idea of, hey, how do we reimagine things? And I think this is a positive part of that reimagination — very personal to me. My wife was a foster child, so I want to make sure that we work together to see that program get off the ground and grow and be productive. 

My last question is on law enforcement housing. I represent nearly half of the overall southern border — places like Eagle Pass, Del Rio, El Paso. My district has been ground zero for this border crisis, and as a result, we’ve seen a large surge of law enforcement personnel from CBP, National Guard deployed to this area. But in many cases, these are small, rural communities, and there’s simply not enough housing supply to meet the need. Out in West Texas, for example, I’ve been fighting to secure housing for first responders. 

My question is this: Given the President’s commitment to supporting first responders, what is HUD doing to ensure that first responders and those that are deployed to these areas have affordable and adequate housing? 

HUD Secretary Turner: You know, I, too, have a heart, and it’s a top priority — our first responders and all Americans — to make sure that they have affordable, sustainable places to stay. And obviously, you know, we have our FHA program, and the President — it’s a priority of his, and so we look forward to working with you and your colleagues and your staff on how we can ensure and help our first responders as they, too, look for housing to purchase and rent in your district and around the country. 

Congressman Gonzales: Thank you for that, because as we surge these people to these areas, there’s just no housing, and that has been one of the takebacks. You can’t just put pieces on a board — you’ve got to drill down a little bit. Thank you again for your testimony. I look forward to working with you. 

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