CCTV9英语新闻12月：美籍华人帮助成千上万的无家可归者（在线收听）

In the United States the number of homeless people is falling.... but homelessness remains a big problem. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development says nearly 634,000 Americans are homeless. 21-percent of them are in California where one Chinese-American woman is trying to make a difference.

On the Northwestern California Coast of Humboldt county it’s safe to say, no one who works harder at feeding hungry souls than Betty Chinn. From her home, to her truck, to a network of church kitchens, Betty cooks, prepares and loads up more than a thousand meals a day. She delivers the food to the people she calls family. Some of the homeless here may be drug addicts, some mentally ill and some have just lost their way - it doesn’t matter to Betty. She calls on a man named Pony for help. Decades ago, Pony was convicted of having sex with a minor. That set into motion a cycle of prison, drugs and violence. When no one would help, Betty persistently used her clout to get him into transitional housing.

Betty cooks, prepares and loads up more than a thousand meals a day.

Betty goes directly to where the homeless live, looking for ways to help. We meet David Spears, a former Marine and Vietnam War Veteran with throat cancer. For him, living in a house or apartment is not in the realm of financial possibility.

But others do want out, like Sue and her son, Christopher. They fell on hard times when Sue’s husband was hospitalized after a stroke.

A person who’s been congratulated by rock stars and celebrities.[Picture of her with Bono and Billie Jean King] She’s also earned the respect and friendship of former California first Lady, Maria Shriver, and was awarded a Presidential Citizen’s medal by President Barack Obama. Betty says she has everything she’s ever dreamed of -- a loving family and a comfortable home and food - which is exactly why she can’t sit still.

Chinese-American helps thousands of homeless

Betty even travels by herself into areas and times of the night considered unsafe. She tells me in these woods, there are 175 homeless, among them 12 high school students she drives to school every morning.

Betty took carpenter Jeremy Hackney under her wing when he was homeless, unemployed and an alcoholic. Today, none of those labels apply. As a carpenter, perhaps it’s fitting that Jeremy’s latest work is part of a community effort that helped build and realize Betty’s dream -- the Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center. Inside this half-million dollar building donated by a businessman and renovated by supporters, Betty and a team will work to manage homeless cases, house the needy, run a kids program and of course, cook plenty of meals.

The center’s equipped with a computer lab to help homeless people gain computer literacy and to look for jobs and housing. And right over here, is the hire attire, where there’s a wardrobe with clothes that will not only keep people warm, but help them look professional for job interviews.

While the center marks an incredible milestone for a former homeless immigrant from China, on this day, Betty refuses to take the day off. Even before all the guests have gone, Betty has already slipped out the door and is soon on the streets again in her words, just being a mother who needs to make sure her family is fed.