Mayoral Summit on Homelessness Set for Friday
Alexandria, La. (Jan. 7, 2020) — The City of Alexandria, along with the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition, Volunteers of America and Hope House will present a Mayoral Summit on Homelessness In Our Community from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 10, in Convention Hall, located in the City Hall building at 915 Third Street in downtown Alexandria.
“Homelessness is a serious issue across the country, and we are not immune to it here in Alexandria,” said Alexandria Mayor Jeffrey W. Hall. “Every night, we have men and women sleeping in doorways, at underpasses or in tents or makeshift shelters. That is not acceptable, and it is something we need to address as a community. We have resources available locally, and people like the Homeless Coalition, VOA and Hope House do a great job helping those they can, but right now there is more demand than capacity. We are hosting this program to help further the conversation and bring together community members to help increase our capacity so that we can serve everyone who needs help locally.”
Joseph Buzzetta, executive director of the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition, will be leading the program, which will include panel discussions to discuss street outreach programs, homeless support services and next steps to increase the number of homeless that can be served. “We do a good job of reaching out and identifying the individuals who are in need of help,” Buzzetta said. “One of our challenges is that we don’t have enough beds available locally for those in need of emergency assistance, and we don’t have enough affordable housing units available to help meet the longer-term needs of individuals working to get back on their feet. I’m grateful to the Mayor and the City of Alexandria for their support as we try to work together as a community to address this serious issue.”
The summit is free and anyone interested in helping better meet the needs of the homeless in Alexandria is welcome to attend.
Contact:
Jim Smilie
Communications
318.449.5038 (Office), 318.730.1683 (Cell)
jim.smilie@cityofalex.com
