2020 Policy Position Statement

2020 POLICY POSITION STATEMENT

2020 VAREP NATIONAL POLICY CONFERENCE

policy POSITION paper The 2020 Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP) policy position statement is an evaluation of key policy issues that have a direct impact on VAREP’s ability to accomplish its mission.

Based upon the issues, statistics, and data provided below, VAREP implores legislators to facilitate agency changes and/or introduce legislation to protect/educate veterans against discrimination insofar as credit, lending and housing opportunities.

Issues & Supporting Data A 2020 VAREP study of 24 Chartered Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) showed the following: The study concluded that none of the VSOs in this study provided financial-literacy education, housing counseling, affordable housing development, VA home loan benefit education, or holistic suicide-prevention services to the veteran community.

All of the VSOs in the study including VFW, AMVETS, DAV, & American Legion’s primary focus was on veteran compensation claims.

A 2016 VAREP survey of veterans and 2010 VA National Veterans surveys, showed the following: 65% said they did not think they could ever own a home.

95% said they did not receive housing counseling and VA Loan education while serving and post separation.

95% said they wanted follow-up home buying counseling services and education.

33.6% indicated they did not know about the VA Home Loan program.

8.1% said their lender and/or REALTOR® discouraged the use of the VA loan.

2013 Study - Homelessness and Money Mismanagement in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans 30% reported money mismanagement (e.g., bouncing or forging a check, going over one’s credit limit, falling victim to a money scam in the past year) was associated with homelessness in the next year, as were arrest history, mental health diagnosis, and lack of income.

Lack of veteran inclusion in CFPB’s interpretation of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) The CFPB does not collect data/monitor the veteran lending experience; thus they cannot provide the identification mechanism for any predatory lending practices or provide reporting statistics to paint a clear picture of the veteran lending and homeownership experience.

Lack of veteran inclusion in current federal fair housing and equal credit opportunity laws Veterans, an established protected class, have been left out of Fair Housing, Equal Credit Opportunity and Community Reinvestment Acts causing confusion, frustration and in some cases, housing discrimination.

SOLUTION: Grant VAREP a Congressional Charter Recognition Under U.S. Code 36, Part B to Provide Veterans Counseling on Financial-Literacy, Affordable Housing Options, Homelessness Resources, the VA Home Loan Benefit, and Suicide-Prevention.

Chartered VSO: A “chartered” VSO means they are federally chartered and/or recognized or approved by the VA Secretary with purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A Congressional Charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code; However in 2009, the Military Officers Association of America was granted a charter.

The relationship between Congress and an organization so recognized is largely symbolic, and is intended to lend to the organization the legitimacy of being officially sanctioned by the U.S. government. Congress does not oversee or supervise organizations it has so chartered, aside from receiving a yearly financial statement.

Non-Chartered VSO: A “non-chartered” VSO would provide the same types of services as chartered VSOs, but Congress did not pass a law and grant them recognition under Title 36.

OUR ASK: We request to be a Congressional Chartered VSO under U.S. Code 36, Part B. While the Congressional Charter is largely symbolic, it will give us the national recognition and legitimacy to continue to serve the veteran community. Founded in 2011, VAREP has been providing the services below to the veteran community.

Financial and Housing Education. Train veterans on being financially responsible on topics such as banking, budgeting, savings, maintaining good credit, benefits of homeownership, and the VA home loan benefit. Train real estate agents and lending professionals about the VA Home Loan benefit, ensuring the veteran home buying experience is without discrimination.

Financial and Housing Counseling. Counsel, represent, and assist veterans with money management problems that want to purchase or rent a home. Assist veterans with resources that are facing homelessness.

Affordable Veteran Housing. Assist government agencies with programs that reduce veteran homelessness as well as providing affordable housing solutions for low-to-moderate income veteran families.

Workforce Training and Entrepreneurial Mentorship. Provide workforce training during veteran reintegration and provide resources for veteran entrepreneurship.

Holistic Suicide Prevention. Work and assist the Department of Veterans Affairs on developing a holistic alternative therapy program to combat the veteran suicide epidemic.

As a housing non-profit for vets, by vets, our success is measured not by a balance sheet for shareholders, but by how many lives we can improve through our programs and services. Our proactive stance of providing financial-literacy education and advocating homeownership may not end the epidemic of homelessness among the veteran community, but can prevent it from happening in the future, one veteran at a time.�

- Son Nguyen, VAREP National President and Founder

w w w . VA R E P. n e t Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals 495 E. Rincon St., Suite 110 ∙ Corona CA 92879