HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 - Year Plan to End HomelessnessDRAFT LETTER TO INVITE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO JOIN
10 — YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
DATE
Name
Address
Dear Councilperson/Commissioner/etc:
We are writing to invite your agency to participate in a regional planning process to address the
issue of homelessness called the 10 — Year Plan to End Homelessness.
We recently learned through the Homeless Leadership Coalition's annual point -in -time homeless
count that there are 752 children that are homeless in Central Oregon. This represents 43% of the
1,736 people counted as homeless in Central Oregon on January 31, 2008. Homelessness is a
community issue that cuts across school district boundaries, city limits, county lines, and all
governmental levels.
The 10 -Year Plan to reduce homelessness provides a framework to coordinate our resources.
This process is modeled after the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and has
been used in over 275 communities across the country. Enclosed is a step-by-step guide on the
process, which is expected to take 12 — 18 months.
To participate, we ask for the following commitment from your organization:
• Designate an elected official to serve on a Policy/Steering Committee. The
Policy/Steering Committee will meet once a month for approximately 18 months. The
Policy/Steering Committee with work with an Operational Committee made up of
community partners and staff from the governments involved. Your agency will help
identify community partners.
• Adopt a resolution endorsing the concept of a 10 -Year Plan to reduce homelessness. For
your reference, resolutions adopted by Deschutes County and the City of Bend are
attached. The resolution can be tailored to meet your community's needs.
If your organization is interested in participating in this process, please contact Erik Kropp,
Deschutes County Deputy County Administrator, at 541-388-6564 by DATE with the name
of the elected official who will represent your government. Here are the next steps to kick off
this effort:
• Hold the first meeting of the Policy/Steering Committee before the end of September.
• Attend a public kick off of the Central Oregon 10 -Year Plan at the Project Connect event
on October 11, 2008 the Deschutes Fair/Expo Center. Project Connect is a one day event
that connects people that are homeless to community resources.
Please call me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,