Request targets the homeless

Advocates for the homeless asked local leaders Wednesday to set aside money in next fiscal year’s budget to fund a 10-year plan to end homelessness — an action that would put the efforts one step closer toward local implementation.

The Partnership to End Homelessness in Orange County asked the Town Council to appropriate a place holder in its 2005-06 budget to fund the initiative until the group presents a formal budget request in April.

Meanwhile, the partnership — comprising Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and many local advocacy groups — is working to localize the federal 10-year plan.

Developed by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the plan aims to curb the problem by encouraging localities to develop programs that help people find permanent homes.

Chris Moran, executive director of the Inter-Faith Council, which runs area homeless shelters, said government funding for the plan is key to its success.

“It’s incredibly important for dollars to be set aside,” he said. “When that happens, it means that local governments are serious about this problem.”

Area homelessness has been a subject of recent public scrutiny as the IFC looks to relocate its community shelter to a larger, more permanent location.

Hillsborough also is looking to allow shelters inside town limits.

A count of the area’s homeless Jan. 6 found 230 individuals.

Terry Allebaugh, chairman of the Council to End Homelessness in Durham, said a fight against homelessness must be conducted through municipalities.

“From our perspective here in Durham, it demonstrates a commitment to the process and to ending homelessness,” he said.

“It’s not just the responsibility of, or even in the capacity of, nonprofit groups to do it alone.”

Durham is in the process of developing its 10-year plan — a process the Orange County partnership will examine when formulating its own, said Emily Dickens, partnership chairwoman and Chapel Hill mayoral assistant.

Allebaugh said Durham hired a full-time project manager earlier in the month to develop the city’s plan at a cost of about $55,000.

Raleigh and Wake County also recently completed a 10-year plan at a cost of about $65,000.

Linda Tuday, senior vice president of resource investment of the Triangle United Way, said she expects costs for Chapel Hill’s plan to be similar to the amount it took Raleigh and Durham to implement the federal program’s goals.

According to the national alliance’s Web site, the federal initiative also places importance on developing strong programs for both preventing homelessness and supporting formerly homeless individuals.

Billie Guthrie, chairwoman of the Orange Community Initiative to End Homelessness, said such supportive programs, especially permanent housing options, should be a top priority.

“We need more permanent housing assistance,” she said.

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