Employee Spotlight
January 23, 2023
Masaki Hirayama, LCSW
Health System Specialist
VHA Homeless Programs Office
Q: How long have you worked for VA?
A: In May 2023, it will have been 15 years. I started as a second year Master of Social Work (MSW) intern for the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, and I was fortunate to have been offered a permanent position there several months after graduating.
Q: What led you to your position at VA? What did you do before coming to VA?
A: Before joining HPO, I was the Assistant Chief of Social Work Service at the VA Northern California Health Care System.
In late 2021, I was offered a special assignment with the Homeless Programs Office (HPO) Business Operations Team (BOT), mainly focusing on the 2022 Point-in-Time Count, the 38,000 permanent housing placement national challenge, and gathering outcomes data for legislation that was enacted during the COVID-19 public health emergency, such as the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.
Several months after my assignment ended, I had the opportunity to apply for a new position on the BOT. This position would serve as the HPO legislative liaison, assisting with congressional briefings and hearings, tracking relevant legislation, and conducting policy analysis and project management.
With encouragement from others, the position with HPO gave me the opportunity to challenge myself in new ways as well as impact homeless programs on a national scale. I was very intimidated by the idea of leaving the comfort of my VA medical center and working alongside national leaders. (I’m still intimidated!)
Q: How does legislation impact the work of ending Veteran homelessness?
A: Legislation does not follow the linear process I was taught in school, so tracking a bill’s movement has been harder than I had imagined. Appropriation bills and authorization bills shape how we can implement programs on the frontline.
Before HPO issues policies to the field, we verify that all guidance—including VHA directives, performance metrics, Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), and Notice of Funding Availabilities (NOFAs)—complies with the statutes. This task is far more complex than I realized, and the experts from our different program offices fortunately help with this.
Also, I wanted to acknowledge the many organizations that seek feedback from homeless Veterans and homeless service providers, and advocate for changes in existing legislation or new bills. These organizations are instrumental in giving a voice to those we serve and play a key role in shaping policies that help us end Veteran homelessness.
Q: What recent pieces of legislation have been most impactful to Veterans?
A: The enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (P.L. 116-136; CARES Act) and the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-315) authorized new flexibilities during the COVID-19 public health emergency. These two bills have had the most impact on homeless Veterans and service providers of all recent legislation.
Congress granted VA many firsts through a series of legislation during the pandemic. VA was granted the statutory flexibility to increase Grant and Per Diem Program (GPD) per diem payments as well as pay a partial per diem for dependents. VA was to issue its first Veterans Justice Programs (VJP) NOFO to provide legal services to homeless Veterans. VA has been able to distribute disposable smartphones, purchase life-saving equipment, provide landlord incentives and rideshare rides, and place Veterans into motels to decompress shelters and rapidly house unsheltered Veterans. VA was able to provide COVID-19 vaccinations and personal protective equipment.
The list of ways in which we have been able to make an impact for homeless Veterans and service providers has been inspiring to witness, and of historical magnitude. Congress was instrumental in providing VA the authority to offer these resources, all of which allowed VA to nimbly adjust to provide services and meet unforeseen needs during the pandemic.
This type of legislation was unprecedented for our entire system, and I’m grateful to Congress for having enacted vital laws and appropriated funds during the public health emergency.
Q: What do you have your eye on these days in Congress?
A: Considering that less than 10% of bills become public law, I’m scanning for legislation that will have the biggest impact on the homeless service system. In general, I have my eye on any changes to existing statutes or new bills that propose more statutory flexibility, so we can quickly pivot in responding to needs. Seeing similar legislation, as we have during the public health emergency, would have an immeasurable impact on the system.
Also, the 2022 Point-in-Time Count shows that the principles our system has implemented have been working. I have my eye on any legislation that promotes Housing First and provides our frontline staff with the resources, training, and support needed to rapidly house and keep Veterans housed. I’m scanning for bills that promote inter-departmental collaboration on a micro and macro level, especially if it creates more affordable housing units and integrates our systems. Recently, I’ve begun to monitor legislation in California, where we have the largest population of homeless Veterans.
In December 2022, HPO was very busy preparing for our Executive Director and National Director for Grant and Per Diem for a hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs to discuss the future of GPD beyond the pandemic, to ensure the program is meeting the needs of Veterans and their families on their journey to permanent housing. Being closely involved in HPO’s advocating for this change taught me so much.
Lastly, just before the new year, the Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits And Health Care Improvement Act Of 2022 (Cleland Dole Act) was signed into law under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (P.L. 117-328). The law, which is based on more than 30 different bills on Veteran issues, addresses health care, benefits and homelessness, among other issues. Thanks to the Cleland Dole Act, we will have new and enhanced programs for homeless Veterans that align with VA’s commitment to preventing and ending Veteran homelessness. We can expect to see a lot of growth this year.
Q: What’s your “why” for this work?
A: After years of addiction and depression, my dad ended up on the streets of my hometown, San Francisco, for almost five years. He used to send me letters about how he was treated coldly, and he felt completely lost in navigating the homeless system. He was in his 50s and had never used social services before. I was so ashamed and hurt by his choices, so I wasn’t in a place to help him; I even moved 350 miles away.
One day, my dad told me that he became a new client and volunteer of a new nonprofit called North Beach Citizens, founded by the director, Francis Ford Coppola. His new caseworker walked my dad through every step in getting stabilized. My dad secured Supplemental Security Income, a Section 8 voucher, and a nice one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco—in less than two years. Eventually, my dad returned to college and earned his BA. His caseworker always had hope that my dad could be the best version of who he wanted to be, even when he had lost hope himself.
When I started my MSW program several years after my dad became housed, I was determined to become an agent of change on any scale. I’ve had the opportunity to make an impact at the client level for many years, and I’m looking forward to contributing at the systemic level.
