estimates, we re down to about 76,000. we hope to be under 60,000 by early next year and by 2015 we will end homelessness. 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
it increases exponentially. of course, with three-quarters of our veterans dealing with issues of alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and mental health issues, keeping a job and stabilizing in one s life is merely becomes impossible. it is only by working together that we are going to get this done. and i have a little love from the california state senate. yes, we re busted, but we put this together to be able to bring you this recognition today and in thanking the san francisco s veteran administration medical center, and of course our great friends of the salvation army here at the harbor light centered for joining forces, for the check presentation, which will be made in a moment, in support of this expansion. of course, this does not solve the problem. as we say in jewish tradition, we re taught that ours is not to complete the task. neither is it for us not to begin in it. today we begin the task. if i may present this to you. [applause] thank you. [applause] our next
begin in it. today we begin the task. if i may present this to you. [applause] thank you. [applause] our next speaker is edwin lee, mayor of san francisco. he first began working for the city and county of san francisco in 1989 as the investigator for the city s first whistleblowing ordinance and has since served as executive director of the human rights commission, director of the city purchasing, and director of the department of public works before he was first appointed as the city administrator in 2005. please join me in welcoming mayor lee. [applause] that is good. she said the microphone was already set for me. [laughter] it is my honor to be here. certainly my honor to joint leader policy and senator leno, the veterans administration, the doctor, chief suhr, and are homeless coordinator for the city. bobbi, i wanted to make sure that you knew this city and county of san francisco, my administration, we re absolutely not firmly committed to ending homelessness fo
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 pressure with the phone number, and there are posters in the back. so please take those pedometer read one from this that really struck me. the words homelessness and veterans should never be used together. our next speaker is mark leno, california state senator, representing california s third senate district in the marin county democrats of sonoma, and san francisco cantu. he chairs the senate budget and fiscal review committee is, and he has been a longtime friend and advocate of the va and veterans. please welcome senator leno. [applause] thank you for the introdu