Friday Round-Up: This week in the news

• A traditional soup kitchen is being converted into a culinary school to train those who are homeless for work as chefs, sous-chefs, etc. http://tinyurl.com/ykol2at
• On Wednesday, the Senate, with 11 Republican votes, approved a bill intended to spur employment by providing businesses with incentives to hire new workers. http://nyti.ms/cHzoLU
• Florida House of Representatives may vote to designate attacks against people who are homeless as hate crimes. http://bit.ly/dfERss
• From the NY Times: Yet another challenge for poor & low-income persons- “With Medicaid Cuts, Doctors and Patients Drop Out” – http://tinyurl.com/yklbe35
• The number of people who are homeless in Baltimore County jumped by nearly 25 percent in the past year, with more than a third homeless for the first time.http://tinyurl.com/y8vl2c8
• Is permanent supportive housing the answer to ending homelessness? http://bit.ly/cpOK2z

**Thanks to all who walked in the Help the Homeless Walkathon. This week we found out we raised $107,000 for Calvary’s programs – the most ever for us! In total, the 2009 Walkathon raised $5.8 million for 134 DC Area Homeless Service Providers. http://ow.ly/1mZyI