Clinton pledges homeless $1bn

In a Christmas Eve announcement, President Bill Clinton has pledged to seek $1.15bn in next year's budget to help homeless people get off the streets. "As long as there are children waking up in America on Christmas morning without the comfort of a warm home, we have more work to do," the President said in a statement.

Most of the requested funding would be used for grants to local communities to provide job training for the homeless, child care, treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and mental health services with the aim of accomplishing more than just sheltering the poor. The rest would be for rental assistance vouchers.