Gazette coverage of John Delaney’s efforts to increase funding for Fisher House, a non-profit that provides free housing for military families near hospitals.
Proposed $16 million funding increase would help Fisher House expand:
Rockville nonprofit provides homes to military families near hospitals
A Rockville nonprofit that builds houses near military and veterans medical centers for relatives to stay in would get a major funding boost under a measure introduced by Rep. John K. Delaney (D-Dist. 6) of Potomac.
The measure, which passed by a voice vote June 19, would increase federal funding for Fisher House by $16 million. It was included in the House’s final version of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act on June 20 and is being reviewed by the Senate.
Fisher House has 63 houses in the U.S. and Germany, including one in Bethesda, home to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The residences can accommodate from 16 to 42 family members.
“The Fisher House provides a terrific service,” Delaney said. “Some of these families’ situations are critical and intense. The Fisher House provides them the opportunity to be near their family member in the military as they recover from wounds.”
More than 20 military locations have reported a need for a Fisher House, according to Mary Considine, the nonprofit’s chief of staff.
“The way we build houses is the Department of Defense — Army, Navy or Air Force — and the Department of Veterans Affairs let us know which communities they think need a Fisher House,” Considine said.
The locations are prioritized based on the number of patients who need to travel from outside the immediate area to get care, according to Brian Gawne, vice president for operations at Fisher House.
The Fisher House Foundation is funded by donations from individuals and organizations, plus a $4 million federal allocation, which would rise to $20 million under Delaney’s proposal. The nonprofit had annual revenues of $48.9 million, according to its tax return for 2012.
The $16 million increase in federal money would be offset from a reduction in the Pentagon’s $32 billion operations and maintenance account.
“Usually, only about two-thirds of the operations and maintenance account is used,” said Will McDonald, a Delaney spokesman.
Fisher House builds four or five houses per year. With more money, more houses could be built to accommodate the families of those wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“My hope is that this increased funding would be used to build more Fisher Houses,” Delaney said. “We are entering a generational shift in how many wounded veterans and servicemen are returning home. There is a growing need for Fisher Houses nationwide.”
Last year, Delaney proposed the same measure, which passed the House but died in the the Senate. This year, he is optimistic.
“I think everyone in the House and Senate wants to make sure that we support our veterans and military families,” McDonald said. “There has been increased attention in the last year to veterans’ health care issues. There is strong consensus on both sides of the aisle that we should take care of our military families.”
If the Senate passes the proposal, a conference committee would create a final version.
More information is at fisherhouse.org.