Veterans make up about 12 percent of the population in general, but 25 percent of homeless individuals were once in the military. This disparity has been enough to catch the collective eye of Congress. There are more than a dozen bills before Congress regarding significant changes in aid to homeless veterans.

Perhaps the most significant bill is H.R. 4810, the End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2010. After passing the House in March 2010 it was received in the Senate, read twice and referred to the Committee on Veteran's Affairs on March 23. Since then there's been no action on the bill. For the estimated several hundred thousand homeless vets, the assistance can't come soon enough.

For about the cost of a Big Mac or a cup of coffee and a doughnut, Americans can pay for the funding of this important bill. According to a Congressional Budget Office report, the cost to the American public is an estimated $2 per person (or $612 million in all). The price is small and the payoff for the men and women who valiantly protected our country would be great. Tell your senators, and Hawaiian Sen. Daniel Akaka, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to make the End Veteran Homelessness Act a priority.

Photo credit: _H_