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Home My WebLink AboutJoin House America PROCLAMATION To_join House America Whereas,Jefferson County is committed to ensuring that all residents have a safe and affordable place to live; and Whereas, Homelessness continues to impact hundreds of our residents, and a lack of housing remains a barrier to the health, safety,well-being,employment, and education for these individuals and families; and Whereas,more than 580,000 people on a given night were experiencing homelessness in America when the COVID-19 pandemic began and had to endure the COVID-19 pandemic without the safety and protection of a stable home, while the homelessness crisis has been further impacted and/or exacerbated during and due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and Whereas,the most effective approach to solving homelessness is the Housing First approach,which entails identifying and assisting households experiencing homelessness to obtain permanent housing quickly— without treatment or sobriety pre-conditions and with few to no barriers—through housing counseling and navigation assistance,tailored levels of rental assistance,and/or wrap-around supportive services, as needed; and Whereas,the American Rescue Plan provides communities with significant new resources to address homelessness, including 70,000 emergency housing vouchers and$5 billion in grants through the HOME Investment Partnerships program; and $350 billion in State and Local Recovery Funds through the Department of the Treasury; and Whereas,House America is a partnership between the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD),the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness(USICH), states, and communities to respond with urgency to address the crisis of homelessness; and Whereas,through House America, HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge calls on state and local leaders to set and achieve ambitious goals for re-housing households currently experiencing homelessness and developing new supportive and affordable housing units; Whereas,Jefferson County is committed to working with HUD and USICH to use American Rescue Plan resources and other federal, state, and local resources to make progress towards ending homelessness; Now,Therefore,the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners do hereby announce and proclaim to all citizens that, as of May 6th, Jefferson County proudly joins House America and pledges to respond with urgency to homelessness in our community by setting and achieving ambitious re- housing and housing creation goals. PROCLAIMED-Ns'l't day of May, 2022. Y J. FERSON COUNTY In :PA RD QF COMMISSIONERS SEAL: : _ ,` • n S ur, Chair , • ATTEST: =P t +o. ► ber C.Q / G'1/7 wr9i ��Y1°al� 2 'vci Carolyn ullaway Kate Dean, Membef Clerk of the Board JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners Mark McCauley, County Administrator FROM: Greg Brotherton DATE: May 2,2022 SUBJECT: DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION re: Proclamation to join House America and Letter of Support STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Discussion and Potential Action re: Proclamation and letter to Join House America and Letter of Support ANALYSIS: House America:An All-Hands-on-Deck Effort to Address the Nation's Homelessness Crisis is a federal initiative in which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) are inviting mayors, city and county leaders, tribal nation leaders, and governors into a national partnership. House America will utilize the historic investments provided through the American Rescue Plan to address the crisis of homelessness through a Housing First approach. This effort involves reporting of the efforts of Jefferson County and the city of Port Townsend on addressing homelessness, and developing a communication with other municipalities working on the same issue through the organizational capacity of HUD and USICH. FISCAL IMPACT: There will be minimal staff need, and no financial impact. HUD contributes promotional and operational support. RECOMMENDATION: Discuss and potentially take action on the attached Proclamation and letter to join House America. REVIE ED BY: ark McCau , County Administrator Date 0 CO ls:- Board of County Commissioners 4'497,4ONc 6 1, 1820 Jefferson Street r0 ti PO Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 9SliI NGs o Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3 May 2, 2022 The Honorable Marcia Fudge, Secretary U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 451 7th Street SW Washington, D.C. 20410 Dear Secretary Fudge, Jefferson County is proud to join the federal initiative known as House America,and to stand with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness in pledging to respond with urgency to homelessness in our community by setting and achieving ambitious re-housing and housing creation goals. Homelessness continues to impact hundreds of residents in Jefferson County, and a lack of housing remains a barrier to the health, safety,well-being, employment, and education for these individuals and families. Too many had to endure the COVID-19 pandemic without the safety and protection of a stable home, while the homelessness crisis has been further impacted and/or exacerbated during and due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why Jefferson County is committed to re-housing fifty households from homelessness, and to adding 43 units to our development pipeline that will serve people exiting homelessness. We are committed to working with HUD and USICH to make effective use of American Rescue Plan,CARES Act, and other federal, state, and local resources to make progress towards ending homelessness and ensuring that all residents have a safe and affordable place to live. We are committed as well to solving homelessness through a Housing First approach, which identifies and assists households experiencing homelessness to obtain permanent housing quickly—with respect for their rights and autonomy,without treatment or sobriety pre-conditions, and with few to no barriers to entry—through housing counseling and navigation assistance, and tailored levels of rental assistance and offers of wrap-around supportive services. I look forward to working with you and the staff at HUD and USICH in the coming months as we join our efforts to House America. Please send future announcements about House America events and technical assistance to County Commissioner,Greg Brotherton Sincerely, Jefferson County Board of Commissione 404(diderill)W0kgi • Kate Dean Hei i Isenhour, Chair reg Br therton District 1 District 2 District 3 Phone (360) 385-9100 Fax (360) 385-9382 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us