Tommorrow night at the Fort Lauderdale Commission meeting: In Recognition of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week November 16-12, 2014 WHEREAS,for the past several years the National Coalition for the Homeless and National Student campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness have sponsored National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness initiatives; and WHEREAS,the purpose of this recognition Is to educate the public about the many reasons people are hungry and homeless and to encourage support for homeless assistance; and WHEREAS,for many years, Fort Lauderdale has actively collaborated with community-based, and faith-based organizations that leverage strengths in a unified effort to comprehensively impact homelessness through the coordination and delivery of essential programs and services; and WHEREAS,Fort Lauderdale was the first city in South Florida to establish a Police Homeless Outreach Unit, which currently makes 8,ooo referrals a year providing access to housing, critical medical care, and social services; and WHEREAS, Fort Lauderdale Is home to the only full-service comprehensive Homeless Assistance Center in Broward County; and WHEREAS, the City maintains an active partnership with Mission United, a program dedicated to providing housing and social services to homeless Veterans; and WHEREAS, the City supports Broward County, the Broward Partnership for the Homeless, the Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority, Salvation Army, United Way, Hope South Florida, the Task Force for Ending Homelessness, and many others; and WHEREAS, the City is part of Broward Countys Continuum of Care, a partnership that allocates over $20 million in our community for homeless assistance; and WHEREAS, Fort Lauderdale Is the only city in South Florida and one of only 235 communities nationwide participating in the 1oo,ooo Homes Campaign, also known as the Housing First initiative, to move the chronically homeless into permanent housing; and WHEREAS, our Housing First initiative was recently re-funded for a second year, giving the city an additional $455,000 to continue to operate and expand this effort to serve even more homeless in our community; and WHEREAS,our quality of life and our economic viability are directly linked to our stewardship of public spaces. As such, we have a responsibility to ensure that all of our public spaces are accessible and can be safely enjoyed by everyone -families, children, neighbors, visitors and the homeless; and WHEREAS, the City encourages groups that want to help the homeless to partner with agencies and organizations that, like Fort Lauderdale, are taking a comprehensive approach to this Issue so that we can begin to make real progress addressing the needs of our homeless neighbors. NOW, THEREFORE, WE, as City Commissioners of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, do hereby proclaim November 16-22, 2014 as: National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Is this a sincere recognition or just a PR exercise and self-congratulations for those in City Hall?
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 22:48:11 +0000
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