Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 3
Number 3, approve prom mission regarding hunger and homelessness awareness week from November 11 through November 19, 2011, at various locations throughout Travis County.
>> good morning, judge.
>> good morning, miss moffett.
>> christy moffett senior planner with Travis County health and human services.
I hope have you the proclamation with you today.
we dropped it off earlier.
>> we certainly do.
>> yes.
and today we are here in partnership with echo and the basic needs coalition to support hunger and homeless awareness week.
a week of events to bring a spotlight to the issues of hunger and homelessness in Travis County.
and so with that we do this work in partnership with the cdbg grant as that is part of our focus as well as with the entire department of health and human services.
and so I'm going to give it over to our partners.
so ann.
>> hello, ann howard, executive director of echo.
we've been very busy in the last few weeks since we were here before you just a couple weeks ago to get your support for the hundred homes campaign as well as registry week that took place last week, and we had 100 volunteers out surveying, completed 289 surveys of individual homeless people and learned more about their medical condition and learned how badly we need to house them to get them off the street and to wrap them with service so that they can be successful and rejoin our community.
today we're sort of celebrating but in sort of a sad way.
we're celebrating the community cause behind hunger and homelessness.
the cause maybe is not the right word, but the community effort to do something about it.
and it -- it would be so nice if we didn't come here next year and ask for you to proclaim to support our work.
but this work is really done by volunteers.
lots of them have day jobs that work for you at the county or for the city or for the many nonprofits or they are already volunteering with a nonprofit, but they rally around the opportunity to share their cause and to let others know about the needs in our community.
and I'm honored to introduce a volunteer, liz irie.
she serves on the board at the arch at front steps, and she has jumped in with both feet.
she's a mother and she's going to tell you a little more about hunger and homeless awareness week.
>> thanks, ann.
good morning.
>> good morning.
>> hunger and homelessness awareness week is a wonderful more than week-long opportunity despite what the name says about a week for central texans to learn about hunger and homelessness and to learn how they can make a difference.
so our slogan is listen, learn and lend a hand, and to that effort we have -- we have come 'with a lot of different events that started last week and are going through the end of this week to address different people in the community to bring them out and give them an opportunity to learn more about homelessness and how they can get involved.
and our website to find out more about any of the events is www.hh week Austin.com.
thanks so much.
>> thank you.
any other comments?
>> we have lots of folks here in support.
we represent echo, the basic needs coalition, and our members of Austin-Travis County integral care.
who else do we have here?
we have students from the u.t.
school of social work.
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> she's our major advocate.
with that we just thank you for your support.
>> thank you.
>> thank you so much for everything you are doing.
gus is right, if gus is still here, we should be judged by how we treat the least among us and certainly the homeless and hungry are if least among us.
we tried to pull up a clip of jennifer gale singing a christmas carol from 2007, we were unable to do it because of technical assistance, but we have to assist those who come in from the cold.
>> we have that ready.
>> would you like to hear jennifer sing us a christmas carol?
let's get in the holiday spirit, y'all.
>> that is very wonderful news.
hello, Commissioners.
Commissioner Gomez, Commissioner daugherty, judge Sam Biscoe, sarah Eckhardt, our prayers are with your son and I hope he gets better.
and my own Commissioner Ron Davis and our county attorneys, of course.
I need your help.
no.
as we bask in the glow of hanukkah, having recently been finished and get ready to enjoy the principles of kwanzaa, I want to wish you all a merry christmas.
>> [singing]
>> [applause]
>> any other comments?
jennifer didn't deserve to die in a doorway and I really appreciate all you are doing.
>> did you want us to read this proclamation?
>> yes, please.
>> whereas, the ending community homelessness coalition, echo, of Austin tract and the basic needs coalition, bnc of of central Texas are co-hosting hunger and homelessness awareness week from November 12th through November 19th 2011 with activities that call attention to those less fortunate while furthering echo's vision to create a community fiercely focused on ending homelessness.
whereas echo's 2011 homeless count showed that there were 2,357 homeless people in Travis County with a little less than half of those people counted in shelters and the hunger by the numbers, a blueprint for ending hunger in Texas report.
indicates that 158,270 Travis County residents experience a time in the previous year when they had difficulty meeting their food needs placing them at risk for hunger.
whereas the national coalition of the homeless and against homeless and hunger co-sponsor hunger and homelessness awareness week nationally.
whereas the hunger and homelessness awareness week which supports and furthers the basic needs coalition to lead the community this creating solutions that secure basic resources like food and housing while advocating for our neighbors who face economic hardship, psychological devastation and lack the means to provide for their own basic needs.
and whereas by Commissioners court and echo are dedicated to ending the homelessness and hunger poverty in Travis County be it proclaimed that all residents are encouraged to observe November 12 through 19, 2011 as hunger and homelessness week and encourage all to up is port echo and bnc's efforts to end hunger and homelessness in Travis County.
and I move approval.
>> second.
>> we appreciate all of you and all that do you for our residents.
>> thank you.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you very much.
>> thank you, judge.
thank you, Commissioners.
>> thank you for your service.
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