The City Council of Lubbock, Texas, has once again stalled on proposed plans to establish a homeless committee that will effectively address the needs of the city's homeless population at a time when outside temperatures are already beginning to plummet.

While the Council recently agreed to create a homeless committee, a plan put forward by Councilman Todd Klein, the latest council session ended in a vote which severely weakens the committee's potential to help the homeless and delayed appointments for the group's members until December. 

By removing a city liaison from the 17-member committee and only giving the group one year to develop a plan is no way to establish meaningful and lasting solutions to homelessness in the area.

Appointing a homeless committee should be an immediate priority for the Lubbock City Council, and it is vital that the group also include a city staff member.  The City Council should be actively connected with efforts to address the issues faced by the city's homeless, as they too, are members of the community.

With an estimated 755 homeless individuals (and actual numbers likely far exceeding the count), the City Council cannot push responsibility onto non-profit groups whose resources are already stretched thin. And, ultimately, the committee should be given more time to develop lasting strategies to end homelessness in Lubbock, instead of fines, jail time, and draconian ordinances that ignore the root causes of homelessness.

There should be no more delay, it's time for Lubbock City Council to appoint a homelessness committee with the power to effectively address the challenges facing the community.

Photo credit: Jason