Drafter
Clerk 07/13/2005
title
A MOTION adopting A Roof Over Every Bed in King County: Our Community's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, adopting the governance structure of the Committee to End Homelessness as the official local homeless and housing task force necessary under state and federal guidelines, approving King County's Response to the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County and stating the intent of the metropolitan King County council seek additional federal and state and local funds to end homelessness and to work with other organizations and governmental entities on the implementation of this ten-year plan.
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WHEREAS, homelessness is recognized as a growing problem in King County and elsewhere in the nation, and
WHEREAS, our regional one-night count of homeless persons estimates that approximately eight thousand three hundred King County residents experience homelessness on any given night, and
WHEREAS, estimates suggest that over twenty-four thousand King County residents will experience at least one episode of homelessness during the upcoming year, and
WHEREAS, King County finds it unacceptable that such a high number of our citizens cannot find safe, decent, affordable and non-time-limited housing, and
WHEREAS, new efforts and a new focus are needed to achieve measurable results in reducing the number of homeless households in the region, and
WHEREAS, the community, including government officials representing King County and the city of Seattle, foundations, the faith community, the business community, nonprofit organizations and homeless individuals have worked over the last several years to develop a plan that seeks to end homelessness, not simply manage homelessness, by pursuing new efforts to address homelessness, and
WHEREAS, federal and state governmental entities have issued requirements that local planning areas must create ten-year plans to end homelessness in their communities, including the passage of Chapter 484, Laws of Washington 2005 (Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2163) the Homelessness Housing And Assistance Act, and
WHEREAS, Sections 8, 15 and 3(9) of Chapter 484, Laws of Washington 2005 identifies that county governments are responsible for identifying a local homeless and housing task force to develop a ten-year plan, and
WHEREAS, this plan must be approved by the local county legislative body by December 31, 2005, in order to implement the ten-dollar recording fee authorized by Chapter 484, Laws of Washington 2005, and
WHEREAS, King County estimates that the recording fee will generate approximately three million dollars per year that may be spent in all cities and unincorporated King County on efforts to end homelessness, and
WHEREAS, King County was a founding member of the committee to end homelessness and was the entity selected by the region to provide staff support to the initiative, and
WHEREAS, King County government has been and will continue to be an active participant of the regional committee to end homelessness in King County, through participation of council and executive branch staff on the committee to end homelessness governing structure, providing staff support to committee to end homelessness projects and in funding committee to end homelessness positions and project;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The metropolitan King County council adopts A Roof Over Every Bed in King County: Our Community's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, a copy of which is attached as Attachment A to this motion, and states the council's intent to work with other governmental officials, faith and civic groups, philanthropies, the business community, nonprofit housing and service providers, and others to implement this plan over the next ten years.
B. The council recognizes that additional resources will be required in order to meet the ambitious goals included in the ten-year plan to end homelessness and that local government resources are not adequate to achieve these goals. Therefore, the council will advocate for increased funding at the federal, state and local levels to pursue the goals of the ten-year plan.
C. The council designates the governing structure of the committee to end homelessness as the official local homeless and housing task force, with rights and responsibilities as detailed in Sections 8, 15 and 3(9) of Chapter 484, Laws of Washington 2005.
D. The council approves King County's Response to the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County, a copy of which is attached as Attachment B to this motion, as the county's local three-year strategic plan to begin implementation of the region's ten-year plan.
E. The department of community and human services shall provide the council with the committee to end homelessness's annual report.
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