Leaders join ‘pledge’ to end homelessness, as Lafayette numbers spike
‘Momentum like this is rare,' they say, calling on more to join the effort.
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LEADERS PUSH ‘PLEDGE’ TO END HOMELESSNESS, AS LAFAYETTE NUMBERS SPIKE
With point-in-time counts of people found living without shelter spiking and Greater Lafayette nonprofit agencies that work to get more people suitable roofs over their heads reporting they’re maxed out, a coalition of city and social service organizations rallied this week, calling for more partners to join a task force and to commit to what they were calling a community pledge to end homelessness.
The pledge was launched Tuesday during a forum at Connection Point Church in West Lafayette, where mayors, state legislators, law enforcement and homelessness advocates talked through puzzle-piece efforts already started and solutions that often have been elusive.
It comes four months after the Greater Lafayette Homelessness Steering Committee – a group that includes representation from the two cities and various agencies – hosted an afternoon screening of “Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness,” a documentary that suggested homelessness could be solved, or at least tempered, by communities that could get wide buy-in to wanting to get it done.
As of the end of the week, the pledge had been signed by 92 people, according to Lafayette Urban Ministry figures.
“That momentum has continued over the past several months, and across Greater Lafayette, we’re seeing mayors, leaders, social service providers, neighbors, all coming away with this realization that we care deeply about this issue, and we are ready to do something about it,” Wes Tillett, Lafayette Urban Ministry executive director, told a crowd of more than 100.
“Moments like this, momentum like this, is rare,” Tillett said. “This is about leadership, bringing together the people who can define what success looks like, identify the gaps in our current system and ensure our community is prepared for the future. Tonight is part of that turning point.”
Here were several takeaways from a panel discussion Tuesday that covered numbers, what’s being done now and ideas about what’s next.
On the numbers
The total number of people experiencing homelessness, as reflected in annual Point in Time counts done nationally on one night each January, has more than tripled since the start of the decade, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data.
