Office of the Mayor
Proclamation
Lawrence, Kansas
WHEREAS: More than two million Americans across our country each year experience homelessness in our local communities, compromising the quality of life of the person and the community; and
WHEREAS: The City of Lawrence, Douglas County, and the State of Kansas are dedicated to the health, safety, and security of all its citizens; and is committed to ensuring that all Kansans have access to appropriate, safe, decent, accessible, and affordable housing of their choice; and
WHEREAS: It is imperative to have a comprehensive and coordinated effort to establish a baseline count of the number of people who are experiencing homelessness in our community, county, and state that is consistent with other statewide efforts to alleviate and end homelessness; and
WHEREAS: On January 28, in acknowledgement that winter poses extreme hardships for people experiencing homelessness, the City of Lawrence, in partnership with the United Way of Douglas County, and with the support of the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, and the United Way of the Plains, are working with community leaders, businesses, and non-profit organizations to conduct the first comprehensive, coordinated Statewide Homeless Count in Kansas; and
WHEREAS: The City of Lawrence wishes to support this initiative and raise awareness of homeless issues and urge all citizens to join in;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael Dever, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, do hereby proclaim January, 2009 as
January 20, 2009