PHILADELPHIA -- A new federal agency dedicated to eliminating homelessness among veterans has been established in Philadelphia. The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans plans to provide data, research and analysis to policymakers in hopes of ending the problem within five years. Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs say about 131,000 veterans have no permanent place to live. That's down from about 154,000 in 2007. Center director Vincent Kane said last week the agency aims to make programs more effective and to help veterans live independently. The $1.8 million initiative was announced in May by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. It's headquartered at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia with a secondary site in Tampa, Fla.
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