March 18, 2015

Leggett, Bowser, Baker Issue Call to Action to End Homelessness

County Executive Ike Leggett, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker met at the Progress Place homeless shelter in Silver Spring to sign a “Charter to End Homelessness,” pledging greater regional coordination in the fight against the root causes of homelessness.

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker joined forces at the Regional Summit on Homelessness to urge funders, developers, banks, employers, landlords, service providers, schools, institutes of higher learning, and community members to join in the work to end homelessness.

The summit was held at Community Vision at Progress Place, a facility in Montgomery County that provides services for persons experiencing homelessness.

The three leaders each signed charters confirming their commitment to work together to eliminate homelessness in the Metropolitan area; to establish a high-level regional coordinating council on homelessness; to develop and implement an actionable plan to permanently end homelessness in the region, particularly chronic homelessness; and set time frames. They committed to collaborating in four key areas:
  • affordable housing 
  • workforce development 
  • economic development and 
  • supportive services 
Each area offers opportunities for sharing of data and best practices, regional planning and development, collaborative client-focused system of services and joint funding and fundraising

Read more in the news release.

See The Washington Post story.