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Homelessness committee plan to be unveiled

| May 17, 2010 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - The Committee on the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Kootenai County has invited members of the faith community to attend a special meeting Friday, at 7:30 a.m. in the Community Room at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave.

"Churches are on the front lines of this issue and we want to hear about the challenges they are facing and to hear their ideas about solving the problem," said Coeur d'Alene City Councilman Mike Kennedy, who chairs the committee. "We also want to provide the latest statistics about homelessness in Kootenai County and to share information about the resources available to churches when they are contacted by people in need of help."

The committee was formed in 2008 and is made up of representatives from private groups and public agencies that provide services to the homeless population and to residents who are at risk of becoming homeless.

"Our goal is not to create a new level of government in response to homelessness but to do more with the public and private resources at our disposal," Kennedy said. "By communicating and working together we can eliminate duplication of efforts."

He said that the committee's goal is to move beyond simply providing temporary relief to the homeless and to find ways to put people and families in permanent housing with the assurance that they can sustain themselves as fully participating citizens in our communities.

Friday's meeting will include informational exhibits by service providers, a presentation on the most recent data collected on homelessness in our county and an active dialogue with member of the faith community.

Any church or other group planning to send a representative to the meeting is asked to RSVP by contacting Amy Fergusson at Coeur d'Alene City Hall, at 769-5754.

Service providers interested in sharing information with an exhibit at the meeting can contact David Townsend at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, 769-2315 Ext. 426 or by e-mail at dtownsend@cdalibrary.org.