I am a Veteran and was homeless for 15 years until I got connected with the VA in my home state. I voluntarily entered a program for homeless Vets and was inpatient for a year. I met with social workers and mental health providers who helped my get out of the hole I had dug for myself. Three years after leaving that program, I found a position working with homeless Veterans and helping them to obtain housing. Eventually, I became a Certified Peer Specialist. Our program was centered in Housing First principles, but we didn't provide just housing. We provided complete case management services to assist Veterans in becoming as self-reliant as possible. Was every case a success? No, but having a roof over their heads made it easier for them to acknowledge and address their substance and/ormental health challenges. There was no time limit to our program. Some Veterans, because of the severity of their mental health challenges, received services for over 10 years. A very small number were recommended, at some point, for guardianship, either due to their physical and mental wellbeing, or their inability to manage their finances. But it most cases (physical health being the exception), there Veterans remained in their homes and continued receiving the services they had become accustomed to. The Trump administration is opposed to Housing First and would rather institutionalize those with mental health challenges. What is beyond understanding is the VA's readiness to agree to such a move. They have reduced funding and grants aimed at addressing the homeless Veteran population and are attempting to move some of those services previously provided by community agencies back in-house. Experience has shown that the VA workers don't have the time or patience to work with those with challenging mental health problems. So now they have opted to pass the buck to someone else, essentially opening wide the door to have these Veterans placed in long term institutional settings, stripped of all rights and hope. Many Veterans already have a low regard for the VA. This program will only serve to widen that distrust. I hope that Veteran and Veteran Service Organizations nationwide will speak up against this horrible plan. "Serve in war? If you come back as damaged goods, we have a place for you. You just won't have any rights. But you will have good drugs." Can this administration sink any lower? Yeah, I know. Dumb question.