Herman an HVRP participant works at Targetmaking 7

Alsosince July 2008, VOA of IL has assisted 50 Veterans in finding employment andhopes to employ 100 more Veterans by June of 2009.Despite efforts to find veterans well paying jobs, some Veterans stilllive in shelters while working. Herman, an HVRP participant, works at Targetmaking $7.75 per hour and works 40 hours per week. Despite his best efforts,Herman finds it difficult to find an apartment of his own in the City ofChicago because rents are not affordable. Because of this situation andalthough he has been working for the last three months, Herman is still livingat the Pacific Garden Mission shelter for men which is located at 1458 S.Canal St in Chicago. John, another HVRP program participant, also works 40 hours per week at Mepco Finance Corporation but can't afford housing Jimstays at the YMCA Shelter in Evanston. Jim hopes that with hard work, he'll belifted to a pay scale where he can save enough to afford his own apartment.VOA of IL realized that the main barrier in moving homeless Veterans toself-sufficiency is lack of affordable housing in Chicago.

Housing for astudio or Single Room Occupancy (SRO) room costs approximately $650 a month.If a family is involved rents can run between $750 for a one-bedroom to $1,200for a three-Bedroom apartment.Many low-income individuals are often forced to spend far more than 30 oftheir total income on housing. When the amount of total income spent on rentexceeds 30, meeting other basic needs like food, clothing and utilities isvery difficult, if not impossible. It is not unusual for people to skip mealsor forego heat to maintain their rent.To address the lack of affordable housing in Chicago, VOA of IL isdeveloping a supportive housing project for homeless Veterans on the West Sideof Chicago where, according to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs,there is a high concentration of homeless Veterans in need of housing andsupportive services The project will be located at the corner of Madison andSt. Louis in East Garfield Park which is located in the 29th Aldermanic Ward.The project will include: 1) supportive housing for up to 50 homeless Veteransin need of immediate and intensive services at the point of referral /application; and 2) affordable housing for up to 30 Veterans requiring lessintensive but perhaps longer term housing and support. The project will alsoinclude first floor commercial space (specifically designed to create on-siteemployment opportunities for residents); comprehensive supportive serviceson-site; a full-service Business and Training Resource Center for residents; alarge community meeting and living space for residents; private, enclosedgreen space; and laundry facilities on every floor with residential units.About Volunteers of America of IllinoisVolunteers of America of Illinois is a private, not-for-profit,faith-based, social service organization dedicated to helping people of allages create positive and lasting change in their lives through programs thatsupport, empower and transform.

To learn more about Volunteers of America ofIllinois, please visit http:// or call 312-564-2300.SOURCEVolunteers of America of IllinoisErica Foreman, office, 1-312-564-2308, cell, 1-312-493-4051; or Nancy HughesMoyer, office, 1-312-564-2300, cell, 1-630-461-9202, both for Volunteers ofAmerica of Illinois. TD to offer 9 mln preferred shares at C$25/shr Stocks Bonds IPOs Boosts offering by 2 million shares on strong demand TD shares up 1.8 pct (Updates amount of gross proceeds. Adds analyst comments) TORONTO, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO)boosted the amount of a new preferred share offering by morethan 25 percent on Monday, citing strong interest just hoursafter it first unveiled the issue. TD, Canada's second-biggest bank, said it planned to raiseabout C$225 million (($189 million) in a preferred shareoffering to bolster its capital position. TD said the offering would consist of 9 millionnoncumulative five-year preferred shares with a face value ofC$25 per share. That is up from the seven million shares thatit said earlier in the day it would offer.

The series will yield 6.25 percent annually until April 30,2014. The bank also granted its underwriters an option topurchase an additional 3 million shares. If the option isexercised, the maximum gross proceeds of the share issue areexpected to be C$300 million. Mario Mendonca, an analyst at Genuity Capital Markets, saidit was necessary for TD to raise the capital given its "light"Tier 1 capital ratio in the "low nines" compared with itspeers.