County Council meeting in LFP to assess homelessness
Published 6:42 am Monday, March 3, 2008
A regional consortium of entities working together to end homelessness in King County within the next ten years will come together for the next Metropolitan King County Council Town Hall at 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 16 at Lake City Elks.
“The individuals and agencies that make up the Committee to End Homelessness are determined to find permanent answers to the challenge of homelessness,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips.
The Council on May 2 adopted a plan sponsored by Council member Carolyn Edmonds to set standards for homeless encampments on private land.
“The Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness seeks to fundamentally change our approach to homelessness. Working together, we will ensure a roof over every bed in King County,” said Edmonds. “Every church, agency, organization and government participating in the Committee to End Homelessness is committed to getting people out of the alleys, off of sidewalks and from under freeway overpasses and under roofs.”
The eight founding members of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County are King County, the city of Seattle, United Way of King County, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the Eastside Human Services Alliance, the North Urban Human Services Alliance, the South King County Council of Human Services and the Seattle-King County Coalition for the Homeless.
The plan to end homelessness focuses on prevention, the creation of permanent housing, and providing the resources needed to keep people from becoming homeless and to assist those living on the street find homes.
The panel that will brief the public and Councilmembers on the ten-year plan includes:
• The Very Reverend Robert V. Taylor, Dean, St. Mark’s Cathedral and Chair, Committee to End Homelessness in King County
• Jackie MacLean, Director, King County Department of Community and Human Services and member, Committee to End Homelessness in King County
• Tom Rasmussen, Chair of the Seattle City Council’s Housing, Human Services and Health Committee and member, Committee to End Homelessness in King County
• David Okimoto, Vice President Community Services, United Way of King County, member, Committee to End Homelessness in King County
• Michael Ramos, Director of Social Justice Ministries, Church Council of Greater Seattle
The Town Hall meeting is part of the Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole, the only standing committee on which all 13 members serve. It considers complex legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire council. The Council seeks to enhance local representation on regional issues by periodically scheduling Town Hall meetings in various parts of the county.
