
<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div><div><span>Courtesy of the Army Times at:</span><br><span></span><br><span><a href="http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-senate-bill-aims-to-help-homeless-female-veterans-061912w/"><a href="http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-senate-bill-aims-to-help-homeless-female-veterans-061912w/">http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-senate-bill-aims-to-help-homeless-female-veterans-061912w/</a></a></span><br><span></span><br><span>-----------------------------------</span><br><span></span><br><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: 12px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); "><h2 style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; display: inline; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; font: normal normal normal 26px/normal Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Senate bill aims to help homeless female vets</h2></span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman unveiled a bill Monday aimed at helping homeless female veterans.</span><br><span></span><br><span>The Veterans Affairs Department and Obama administration have been making progress toward a goal of eliminating veterans’ homelessness within five years, with a 12 percent reduction in homeless veterans between 2010 and 2011.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the veterans’ committee chairwoman, said she is pleased by the progress, which has come largely through interagency efforts, but “the number of homeless women veterans has continued to increase.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>Part of the reason is the scarcity of housing options for women with children, she said — and often when housing is available, it is inadequate.</span><br><span></span><br><span>“Infrastructure needs such as private and secure rooms and showering facilities are often lacking,” she said.</span><br><span></span><br><span>As a result, women are placed “in uncomfortable and potentially unsafe situations,” she said. “We can and should do better.”</span><br><span></span><br><span>The bill Murray introduced Monday, S 3309, would provide community grants for transitional housing on the condition that it meets physical privacy, safety and security needs, providing legal services to help low-income veterans find permanent housing.</span><br><span></span><br><span>“No veteran should have to choose between housing and their safety or between housing and remaining with their family,” she said.</span><br><span></span><br><span>-----------------------------------</span><br><span></span><br><span>Seeya round town, Moscow.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Tom Hansen</span><br><span>Moscow, Idaho</span><br><span></span><br><span>"If not us, who?</span><br><span>If not now, when?"</span><br><span></span><br><span>- Unknown</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br></div><div></div></div><div></div></body></html>