Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Fort Worth City Council to hold public hearing on proposed plan to end chronic homelessness

By Pegasus News wire

FORT WORTH — During his most recent State of the City Address, Mayor Mike Moncrief rallied for the development of a plan to end chronic homelessness in Fort Worth over the next decade.

In response, the Fort Worth Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Homelessness has finalized such a plan and the City Council is looking or public feedback.

City of Fort Worth

More than 6,300 people experience homelessness in Tarrant County each year—more than 4,000 at any point in time.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, the City Council will conduct a public hearing as part of the regularly scheduled council meeting (held in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton Street).

The plan, titled Directions Home: Making Homelessness Rare, Short-term and Non-recurring in Fort Worth, Texas within Ten Years, is available for public review online at www.fortworthgov.org/homelessness. A copy also will be made available at the Central Public Library in Downtown.

“The issue of homelessness is a significant challenge, and meeting this challenge continues to be a priority for me, my council colleagues and the people of our city,” Moncrief said. “Considering there are more than 70,000 homeless in Los Angeles, 4,000 in Tarrant County is not a steep hill to climb. We have a historic opportunity to put an end to chronic homelessness. This is doable, Fort Worth! I encourage everyone who cares about preserving the quality of life we enjoy to read the plan and come to the public hearing prepared to make their voices heard.”

The annual cost associated with serving the homeless in Tarrant County can be measured in the millions of dollars, but the human costs are immeasurable says Rev. Brooks Harrington, Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Homelessness.

“The experiences of hundreds of communities in this nation show that we, too, can progressively and radically reduce the number of our fellow residents who suffer from homelessness,” Rev. Harrington said. “Far too many in our community suffer needlessly because they have no home. Other communities less accomplished than ours are on the road to ending chronic homelessness. So we must, and we can, do this together. Ending chronic homelessness is a goal within our grasp, not a dream beyond our reach.”

City of Fort Worth

City of Fort Worth

Posted by Chad / info from City of Fort Worth

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