On Wednesday, October 30, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty ("the Law Center") will honor Senator Al Franken (D-MN), Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D -WI), Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and Judy Curtis for their work to end homelessness, at the 15th Annual McKinney-Vento Awards in Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Eddie Johnson (D-TX) and ABC7/WJLA-TV News reporter and Washington Business Report anchor Rebecca Cooper will hand out awards and emcee the event.

Senator Al Franken will receive the Stewart B. McKinney Award and Congresswoman Gwen Moore will receive the Bruce F. Vento Award for their work to enact the housing provisions of the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Working with the Law Center and other allies, they protected domestic violence survivors from homelessness. These new provisions will make a difference in the lives of millions of vulnerable women and their children.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP will receive the Pro Bono Counsel Award. In 2011, Akin Gump's Dallas office, took on pro bono representation with the Law Center, before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The case challenged the City's ordinances that prevented faith based groups from offering hot meals in public places to the City's homeless and poor people. The Akin team, with the Law Center, won a resounding victory that sets a national precedent and makes a difference in the lives of homeless Dallas residents.

Judy Curtis will receive the Personal Achievement Award for her steadfast courage, in 2010, when the bank tried to immediately evict her from a home she had been renting. With the legal advice of attorneys at the Public Justice Center in Baltimore, a key partner with the Law Center in renters' rights advocacy, the court found the bank had violated federal law by failing to provide Ms. Curtis with a clear 90-day eviction notice. This important legal victory, offering help to millions of renters, would not have been possible without the courage of Ms. Curtis.

The McKinney-Vento Awards pays tribute to Congressmen Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce F. Vento, who co-authored the first major legislation addressing the national homelessness crisis. The 15th Annual McKinney-Vento Awards will be held on Wednesday, October 30, from 6 - 8 p.m., at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Washington, D.C.