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the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Senator Patty Murray’s bill, the Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act. The bill would prevent a VA policy from taking effect that would overturn the way homeless veterans have been helped for more than 20 years, by barring homeless services for veterans who served fewer than two years continuously, or certain veterans who had less than an honorable discharge. Before the bill passed, Sen. Murray spoke on the Senate floor.

A 31-year-old transient was sentenced today to two years in state prison for biting off the fingertip of a coffee shop owner in Venice, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. Jonathan Shain Lemmons pleaded no contest to one count of mayhem before being sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elden Fox.

Just now, the United States Senate passed S.1731, the “Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act” which will protect the eligibility for VA homeless services of homeless veterans with “Other Than Honorable” (OTH) discharges

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), joined by Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Mike Honda (CA-17), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Scott Peters (CA-52) and 18 other California House Members, urged Governor Jerry Brown to address the unmet needs of California’s nearly 300,000 homeless schoolchildren through the expansion of the School Supplies for Homeless Children Fund.

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are launching a demonstration program to offer a permanent home and supportive services to Native American veterans who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD-VASH) Program will combine $4 million in rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA to serve approximately 600 Native American veterans.

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are launching a demonstration program to offer a permanent home and supportive services to Native American Veterans who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD-VASH) Program will combine $4 million in rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA to serve approximately 600 Native American Veterans.

Please urge them to come to the Heart of America Stand Down on November 6. Homeless and at risk Veterans in Kansas City receive clothing, shoes and boots, toiletries, haircuts, ongoing community services (including housing, educational, employment, and medical assistance) from more than 100 organizations, and a hot lunch.

On Oct. 29, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is hosting a webinar to discuss the recently released criteria to meet Federal standards of ending veteran homelessness and how to use it to align your local efforts in support of that vision, with a focus on long-term, lasting solutions. We will also talk about the Federal process for confirming your community's achievement of the goal.

U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D, CA-52) joined Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julian Castro as Secretary Castro announced that HUD will open a comment period in spring 2016 on revising the current formula for how federal anti-homelessness funds are allocated. In 2014, despite having the 5th largest homeless population in the country, San Diego received the 23rd most funding.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is strengthening community and non-profit partnerships to better serve Veterans. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America (BPO Elks) today announced that it has committed $4 million over a 4-year period to help end Veteran homelessness

Research suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, youth experience homelessness at a much higher rate than their non-LGBT peers. Like for most homeless youth, this leads to significant challenges accessing food, shelter, health care, education, and employment, and these challenges may be heightened for youth who identify as LGBT. In addition, homeless youth often struggle to obtain state-issued photo identification, which further limits their access to programs and services that may aid them in securing safe and stable housing

Dina Titus, Representative of Nevada’s First Congressional District and a Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, announced $12.8 million in renewal funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program to provide transitional housing with supportive services for homeless veterans. U.S. Vets, located in Nevada’s First Congressional District, has been awarded $853,000 to provide an average of 25 beds per day for homeless veterans under the “Transition in Place” (TIP) housing model.

Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, welcomed Utahn Carol Hollowell, the executive director of the Switchpoint Community Resource Center in St. George, in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon as she completed a 3,760 mile bike ride across the country to raise awareness about homelessness and poverty.

Arlington County’s efforts to end homelessness take a major step forward this week with the opening of a new  Homeless Services Center. The Center, located in the Courthouse neighborhood, will begin serving clients Friday, Oct. 2. Community members are invited to an open house and ribbon-cutting event Thursday, Oct. 1 from 4-7 p.m.

The House of Representatives today passed sweeping veterans legislation spearheaded by Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) to reauthorize over 30 critical programs that provide healthcare, education, and child care benefits to veterans and continue the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) homeless veterans and caregiver assistance.

Brookwood Financial Partners, LLC (“Brookwood”), a leading real estate investment and asset management company, today announced that Delio D. Contreras, Deborah D. Java, Joseph L. Lesley, Rachel Olmeda-Rodriguez and Shannon R. Sarmiento have joined Brookwood Management Partners, LLC (“Brookwood Management”) in its south Florida and San Diego, CA property management offices. Brookwood Management is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookwood and provides property management services for the firm’s portfolio in the United States

U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today joined Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald to announce $240,884 in renewal funding offered through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program to Way Station, Inc. in Frederick County to help address the needs of the chronically mentally ill homeless Veteran population.

Supporting the president's goal to eliminate homelessness among U.S. military veterans, the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service today announced the award of $1.5 million in grants to help once-incarcerated veterans considered "at risk" of becoming homeless. In all, seven grants will serve more than 650 formerly incarcerated veterans in six states.

The Coalition for the Homeless held a press conference on the steps of City Hall Monday morning to highlight the importance of curbing the sale and availability of the synthetic drug K2, as the City Council held hearings today on how to stop the drug’s spread

Thousands of very low-income Veteran families around the nation, who are permanently housed or transitioning to permanent housing, will continue to have access to crucial services with the renewal of approximately $300 million in grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.