For years we have discussed, pointed fingers, rallied, camped out, gotten arrested, protested and testified at city and county meetings, and not much has changed.  In fact, it appears the number of people on the streets without homes is growing instead of decreasing.  Enough is enough!  You know what you need to do, you've heard it before.  Stop blaming each other, work TOGETHER and do your jobs.   Create a plan. Make it happen.

1.  Develop a permanent supportive housing project (or projects) downtown to add 100 new rental units using the housing first model.

2.  Open a comprehensive daytime shelter in the downtown area with showers, laundry, storage, computers, activities, food, personal supplies, needle exchange program, housing and job search assistance and other needed services.  Until there is a comprehensive downtown daytime shelter, provide additional safe storage and showers.  

3.  Return the city porta-potties to the downtown area and locate them in places people can find them.

4.  Build a new men's shelter in one facility that was designed to be a shelter that is ADA compliant and serves the needs of those who are sick in a humane manner.

5.  Allow everyone into shelter between October and April or change the "winter night" definition from 20 degrees to 45 degrees.

6.  Create a true "warming shelter" for families that ensure no child has to sleep on the streets and risk action by child protective services.

7.  Fund the teen shelter and create a shelter for people with needs not met in the current shelters (transgendered, couples, etc)

8.  Extend the number of days in shelter annually to allow sufficient time to find housing instead of having people leave shelter and return to homelessness.

9.  Allow persons without homes working with agencies to ride the bus for free.

10. If you want people to move off the City-County Building steps, provide a piece of land in the downtown area where people can be sheltered and legally and safely sleep outside without being ticketed.

You know what is needed, you've heard about it for years.  It's time to act.  Work together to make it happen.  Our community can do better.  Do better.