Title
A Resolution expressing the support of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for the Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan and expressing its continued desire to ensure that funding is made available each fiscal year, in accordance with Ordinance No. 103-2014, for the activities of the Affordable Housing Fund and the innovative and sustainable solutions to Homelessness Fund. [Council Office, Maynard]
Body
WHEREAS, in 2013, the Urban County Council adopted the Greater Good Report with partners working collectively to, among other efforts, help households resolve their homelessness, increase the number of housing options, launch new innovative programming to reduce homelessness, and establish the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention and the Homelessness Prevention and Intervention Board; and
WHEREAS, these initiatives and financial investments have reduced the homeless population on any given night in Lexington-Fayette County by 61.6% since 2014; and
WHEREAS, despite the substantial reductions in homelessness, the housing crisis continues with 593 total persons, including children, still experiencing homelessness on any given night in Lexington-Fayette County; and
WHEREAS, annually, the Fayette County homelessness response system provides services to over 4,000 persons, including children; and
WHEREAS, in December 2019, the Office of Homelessness, in conjunction with the Office of Affordable Housing and other div.s of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Continuum of Care partners, embarked on strategic planning and an extensive community engagement process to develop a new five (5) year Strategic Plan to further reduce homelessness in Lexington-Fayette County; and
WHEREAS, during the development of the new Strategic Plan, community feedback was sought to identify successes and challenges in the homeless system of care, and to collect innovative and inspiring ideas about how to address homelessness generally, and, specifically, for certain subgroups such as youth and families; and
WHEREAS, the Strategic Plan provides stakeholders with a common agenda that, if followed, will result in large collective impact, and endorsement of the new Strategic Plan will provide the Urban County Council the certainty to continue implementing strategies that also align with the Strategic Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Urban County Council supports the Strategic Plan’s overarching goals of: (1) Community Outreach and Engagement; (2) Preventing Homelessness; (3) Policy and Advocacy; (4) Funding Sources; and (5) Expanding Permanent Supportive Housing.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE LEXINGTON-FAYETTE URBAN COUNTY GOVERNMENT:
Section 1 - That the above recitals are incorporated herein as if fully stated.
Section 2 - That the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council supports the Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan and expresses its continued desire to ensure that funding is made available each fiscal year, in accordance with Ordinance No. 103-2014, for the activities of the Affordable Housing Fund and the Innovative and Sustainable Solutions to Homelessness Fund.
Section 3 - That this Resolution shall become effective on the date of its passage.
PASSED URBAN COUNTY COUNCIL:
___________
MAYOR
ATTEST:
___________ _____
CLERK OF URBAN COUNTY COUNCIL
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