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TO URGE OUR FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, ALONG WITH CHURCHES AND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, TO STEP UP THEIR EFFORTS TO ASSIST THE HOMELESS IN LIGHT OF THE NATION'S ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND AN INCREASE IN THE HOMELESS POPULATION.
Whereas, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty approximates that, annually, between 2.3 and 3.5 million people experience homelessness in the United States. Although homelessness is difficult to measure definitively, it appears that more people, especially families, are sleeping in shelters, living in their cars, and taking up residence in tent communities; and
Whereas, according to estimates by The National Alliance to End Homelessness, the current recession will force 1.5 million more people into homelessness between 2009 and 2011; and
Whereas, the present cold winter weather only exacerbates the problems of the homeless, threatening the lives of many; and
Whereas, in South Carolina alone, more than seven thousand people are homeless on any given night, but estimates put the total number of beds available in homeless shelters across the State at only two thousand one hundred; and
Whereas, it is critical for us as compassionate Americans and South Carolinians to work toward increased emergency relief, as well as toward the elimination of causes, for those suffering from the serious problem of homelessness. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, urge our federal, state, and local governments, along with churches and neighborhood associations, to step up their efforts to assist the homeless in light of the nation's economic downturn, adverse weather conditions, and an increase in the homeless population.
This web page was last updated on January 19, 2010 at 12:46 PM