the va has set a goal of ending homelessness among veterans by 2015. some may find this a difficult if not impossible goal. we do know that we can reach this goal together with the assistance of our federal, state, and community partners. those who have served this nation as veterans should never find themselves on the streets living without care or hope. i remember the words of an elected official who spoke at the wall-breaking of our recently opened a clinic. he said he heard people talking about veterans deserving this care. he said there is no deserving in the equation, you have earned it. we agree with that. on behalf of the va medical center in san francisco, a pledge our unwavering support and dedication -- i pledge our unwavering support and dedication to that task. [applause] >> please help me in welcoming lieutenant colonel smith, the divisional commander of the salvation army. [applause] >> i think we're all fighting the microphone today. we're pleased to have you. the salvation army facility. this is one of two alcohol and drug rehabilitatio

and the va is now converting the base into a new medical facility.in atlantaa the va facilities. ey are in the process of buulding their second parking gaaage in two years. nagleedescribes his first isit to the va center as a nightmarr. aftee driving trying to findda parking ssace, his car was eventtally booted in the parking lot. ultimately that did take lead into me having a panic attack, disabilities as the military diagnosed me with ptsd so it led into a pretty hard time for e. immediately after that day i was angeredd i was extremely frustrated. these are the kinds of issues holmes is addressing in her role on the pptient adviiory committee: i love to serve aad so instead situution i wanttd to be part he knows he has a llng way o go... but he's giving it his best shot:a lot of friends and family say yyu really aren't surviving, you know and i want to get back to the living part again.t-j holmes, cnn, atlanta. -----end-----cnn.script----- coming up a former raven sticks it to stephee auschka wws the difference in the game... that's next in sports. ((break 3)) 3 cunninghammhas

the va has also been able to provide tremendous support to the community. there's about 40,000 community- based transition house in beds available, including the wraparound social services zymogen. we have nearly $60 million in grants to community groups across the country to provide stable housing. we're partnering, this is very important, with 78 local veterans' treatment courses, and that number is changing. to support the veterans that get in trouble because of these other problems. the veterans have been an absolutely tremendous partner in this. we are making progress. we thank you very much for all your hard work. we recognize that this is a community effort. the va is not going to end homelessness by ourselves. we will end it with your help, with your partnership. it takes a community to do this. so just in keeping with what we're trying to do here, make the call. get that word out. make the call. together, we can prevent and eliminate homelessness for veterans and their families. so thank you very much. [applause] >> hopefully all of you have the pr

- the va's side. e ones raising the flags saying, look, we're not sure this is possible as a starting point. >> again, i can't comment on the litigation. i wish i could, but i can't. >> do you think it's possible? >> i think we have the resources with the community to end homelessness for veterans in los angeles. that, we do. >> robert rissman who is not part of the lawsuit says he hopes it gets resolved before his housing placement runs out. and he's back out on the street. you want a new life. >> i want to get a degree. i want to graduate from college. i want to get a good paying job. buy a house, you know, the right things. >> the place that robert stays now is a group called volunteers of america. it's remarkable. like him, most of the people there have no other place to go. and every one of them fought in iraq or afghanistan. that's how they're living now. >> that's pretty amazing. so a couple questions. first, what happens next for him legally speaking? >> well, you know, people would like this l

if they don't get care in the va, they don't know they've died. so we rely on the state death certificate data to provide us with that data. not all states collect or report veterans' status to the centers for disease control which is the overarching group that main tapes, um, death numbers in the united states. there's a small percentage of states, um, 17 right now to be exact, that report these numbers on a regular basis. so we've had to take those numbers and draw conclusions from that. there's a huge time delay, right now we're working with the cdc to get the 2009 data, so it's not available yet -- >> [inaudible] >> right. >> we don't have any data to compare civilian suicide after the economic downturn. >> right. >> the cdc hasn't published it. >> so it's a struggle to figure out, um, even if we're making an impact. with the programs that we've implemented. >> general, i wanted to follow up on an important point you made on the review of each suicide. every suicide is a different story. if you could, though, make one sort of systemic recommend

behind the headlines protecting female veterans from sexual assault in va hospitals no less. [♪] >> i'monnie erbe welcome to the contrary a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. up first, the cain controversy continues. >> g.o.p. presidential hopeful herman cain vows to continue his campaign despite allegations of sexual harassment and or assault by four women. he has even hired a new lawyer who is warning any woman considering coming forward with sexual harassment charges to quote think twice. this week, two of four women karen kraushar and sharon bialek went public with their stories. sharon bialek's came out first with attorney glor glor gloria allred at her side. >> if the allegations are in fact true then herman cain has been lying to the american public. more importantly, it has shown that he has no respect for the dignity and the rights of women. >> gloria allred says sharon bialek is not filing a lawsuit or selling her story. >> she thought it was time to break the silence. she not going to keep this to herself she is going to stand up and tell the trut

the va hospitals are bursting at the scene.ably discharged after he was diagnosed with post- traumatic stress disorder. >> i really wanted to seek the best help in dealing with my injuries at hand, the v.a. are the people to talk to. >> but the influx of veterans returning home from the war the veterans administration is expected to become even busier, right now 152 veterans affairs medical centers across the country provide specialized medical care to more than 8.3 million veterans. robin homes as a veteran in this on the va patients advisory committee. >> having a dramatic head injuries pt esty, they're coming back with so many service connected issues that they have to be traded. this is a service that we put our lives on >> the va is home to the largest health-care system and the u.s.. the current economic conditions provided veterans no other choice of where to receive care so they are choosing to come to the va more than they happen to pass pierre >> and army base in atlanta for mcpherson recently closed and there now con

we don't think there's a basis for the va to have to provide housing. >> this is the lawyers on the va side. they're the ones raising the flag saying, look, we're not sure this is possible as a starting point. >> again, i can't comment on the litigation. i wish i could, but i can't. >> you think it's possible? >> i think we have the resources with the community to end homelessness of veterans in los angeles. that, we do. >> robert, who is not part of the lawsuit, says he hopes it gets resolved before his housing placement runs out and he's back out on the street. you want a new life. >> i want to get a degree. i want to graduate from college. i want to get a good-paying job. buy a house, you know? the right things. >> i can tell you that the judge is taking this lawsuit very seriously. he's appointed a mediator to work on a solution. the lawyers are all going to be back in court next month. we'll tell you what happens with them and, of course, with robert as well. >>> up next, a mountain climber who has no arms and no legs, yet he has got his sights set on summiting mt. kiliminjaro. ok

and the va is ready for those as rita williams reports. >> reporter: they are coming home, they survive the war in iraq is ending. but some are bringing the war home with them. >> we return home, that's when it all starts. >> when you come back everything just comes at you. everyone wants to see you. all your loved ones want to be near you. they want to ask you questions. you don't want to answer questions. >> alfonso molina enlisted at 20 the 82nd airborne. he says he still can't talk to civilians about what happened in iraq. all he saw and experienced keeps coming back. yet he says it was a singular purpose, keep your comrades alive and protect yourself. >> you come back and it's like, so what's my purpose now? >> overwhelmed by what seemed like trivial details of living he lost jobs, drank too much, lost his license. it took him three years after returning seeing his battle buddies struggling too to figure out he wasn't crazy and went to the va for help. >> it finally clicked in, i must be careful i'm going to hurt somebody or hurt myself. >> reporter: the purpose now at the palo alt

i congratulate the va. i personally command bobbi for her persistence, her energy on behalf of helping us all honor our commitment to our veterans. god has currently blessed america with your service. may god bless america forever. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. today has been a day about honoring our community partners and demonstrating our commitment to end homelessness among veterans. to illustrate the commitment, the department of veterans affairs is presenting the salvation army are perlite center with a check in the amount of $297,561 to support the expansion of their veteran dormitory. [applause] this money will help support the creation of 10 new beds, so the salvation army will now have 34 beds to serve homeless veterans and their families, and the residents should be open in 2011. i now invite the chairman of the heart perlite center advisory council to accept the check from dr. robert jesse. and did you bring the check in your pocket? ok, thank you. carrying the check, we have veterans and r

the va hospital and many services are also nearby. emy served with a marines in iraq. >> services, medical services, importantly rehabilitation. they're here. >> former loems veteran started the shelter in a partner swhip a veteran's administration providing a building and grant money. now, va says 150 residents here must move out by the end of december. the building will be torn down because it is unsafe. those close-knit veterans don't want to leave. ed mack fought in vietnam. >> this is a clean and sober environment. we're going to lose that. that is the worst thing that can happen now. >> among these here, a world war ii veteran, 95 years old. >> it's real hard to beat the procedure that they have get people that are really in desperate need. >> today, social workers visited to begin relocating them to other facilities. >> none of them, none of them will end up on the street. >> veterans are skeptical. >> promises are made to be kbrong. now, it's been broken. >> the va spokes spernz they've extended a deadline over several years. n

these are things the va should be addressing. i understand the va is aware of this issue. they are working on this. i think it is well within the rights of every citizen to be questioning and pushing the va for metrics on how well they're helping veterans. host: we will close with this comment from jim on twitter. on this veterans day, we say thank you to meg harrell to talk about her report on military

. >> reporter: the va offers housing, medical and job assistance but says more places are needed. e local charity gives homeless female vets and their kids a temporary place to stay. >> they want jobs. they want their own houses. these women want their own keys and their own kitchens. >> reporter: donaldson is searching for stability. six years of bouncing around is taking a toll. >> that's the worst. being a mom and knowing you can't give your kids what every kid should have. >> reporter: the va has set a goal of wiping out veteran homelessness by 2015. but for these women warriors, they're just trying to make it through the week. thanh truong, nbc news, fayetteville, north carolina. >>> when we come back, the female coach changing the game on and off the field. >>> back now on this thanksgiving night. for a lot of folks, celebrating thanksgiving means a whole lot of time with the three fs, family, food and football. on a field in our nation's capital, the annual turkey bowl was more closely watched than usual because of the barrier-breaking woman on the sideline. we get the story

. >> reporter: the va offers housing, medical and job assistance but says more places are needed. e local charity gives homeless female vets and their kids a temporary place to stay. >> they want jobs. they want their own houses. these women want their own keys and their own kitchens. >> reporter: donaldson is searching for stability. six years of bouncing around is taking a toll. >> that's the worst. being a mom and knowing you can't give your kids what every kid should have. >> reporter: the va has set a goal of wiping out veteran homelessness by 2015. but for these women warriors, they're just trying to make it through the week. thanh truong, nbc news, fayetteville, north carolina. >>> when we come back, the female coach changing the game on and off the field. s ringing ] [ male announcer ] it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. ♪ campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. ♪ i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a p

. >> reporter: the va offers housing, medical and job assistance, but it says more places like jubilee needed. the local charity gives homeless female vets and their kids a temporary place to stay. >> they want jobs, they want their own houses. these women want their own keys and their own kitchen. >> reporter: donaldson is searching for stability. six years of bouncing around is taking a toll. >> that's the worst, being a mom and knowing you can't give your kids what every kid should have. >> reporter: the va has set a goal of wiping out veteran homelessness by 2015, but for these women warriors, they're just trying to make it through the week. thanh truong, nbc news, fayetteville, north carolina. >> that is a difficult reality. >>> well, let's switch gears and check in on sports. it was a thanksgiving family affair for brothers who squared off in the ravens/49ers matchup. here's nbc's bill seward. >> a very good morning to you. like many families on thanksgiving, the harbaughs spent the holiday together and cooked up a good, old-fashioned grudge match. to baltimore we go. the brother

these are things the va should be addressing. i understand the va is aware of this issue. they are working on this. i think it is well within the rights of every citizen to be questioning and pushing the va for metrics on how well they're helping veterans. host: we will close with this comment from jim on twitter. on this veterans day, we say thank you to meg harrell to talk about her report on military suicide. her report is available on the internet through "washington journal." our final segment is a look at who serves in the military today. we're going to ask people serving veterans why they serve. we will be right back. >> every weekend, the people and events that document the american story. this weekend, collaborators- conspirator or innocent, honor? the retry her on charges she was involved in the assassination of lincoln. from lectures in history, the presidency and cold war policy. look for the complete schedule online. click the alert button to get complete schedules in your in box. >> are we still doing business with these people? >> the parts we have been purc

i encourage all veterans who are struggling with the va to contact the f.w. service officers in the local community. albert, if he is unemployable, should be able to get other types of compensation through the va. i would encourage those of you who are struggling with the va to go ahead and contact the vfw. host: understanding that the vfw seeks support from the population at large, this dram asks -- viewer asks -- guest: wounded warriors is doing a lot, and changing the lives of a lot of injured veterans, military personnel. host: can you explain what it is, in general terms? guest: they help with reintegration, make sure they have the resources they need after they reintegrate. 100% of the donations that goes to the organization goes to the veterans. host: next phone call is from columbia, south carolina. good morning. paul, independent. caller: good morning. i am a military retiree. i spent 10 years in the marines, 10 in the air force. i fought in the korean war in the marine corps. as far as stress, two of the best things happen to me over there. a marine

he's hoping to close the deal by march. we asked va if they could extend the deadline one more time. >> if he could show us the paperwork that he is going to get it and our grant per diem folk good over and inspect it it could very well happen. >>reporter: if it does, those here say it would prove that the government really does put vet runs first. abc 7 news. >>> top general in afghanistan has been fired for making disparaging remarks about afghan president karzai. major general peter fuller no. 2 general in charge of training afghan forces. in an interview with politic fuller said the political fuller said the karzai government was quote isolated from reality. military leaders say fuller comments are out of line. he was sacked. >>> you tube broadcasting live coverage of the hodge. share that with you. 2 and half million muslim will officially begin the analyst lamb ick ritual in mecca, saudi arabia tomorrow, it's one of the 5 pillar of islam that requires all muslim able-bodied and can afford it to afford the pilgrimage once in the l

part of the veterans element is two programs that were established by the va. helmets to hard hats program, which is for veterans to transition into the construction trades, that allows veterans, based on their experience in service, to enter the unions of of the entry level apprenticeship program based on experience that they gained serving in the military. also, the wounded warrior program, which is to provide information about opportunities within the construction trades for people -- for veterans who may have physical limitations. in terms of the administration of the pla, it will be administered by the tjpa. there is a joint administrative committee established in the agreement that would have two representatives from the tjpa and two from the trade unions. the joint administrative committee would meet quarterly just to review the overall status of the program, promote dialogue between the trade unions and the tjpa and also can serve

part of the veterans element is two programs that were established by the va. ets to hard hats program, which is for veterans to transition into the construction trades, that allows veterans, based on their experience in service, to enter the unions of of the entry level apprenticeship program based on experience that they gained serving in the military. also, the wounded warrior program, which is to provide information about opportunities within the construction trades for people -- for veterans who may have physical limitations. in terms of the administration of the pla