Blogging from a White House Committed to Ending Homelessness
Deb De Santis speaking at the July 2007 Middlesex County Ten Year Plan Kickoff.
Most of us have been on cloud 9 since last week’s passage and signing of the McKinney-Vento Reauthorization. Our prior posts on this subject made clear that we viewed this as an important and positive step toward achieving our goals of ending homelessness in New Jersey. We were pleased to read Blogging from a White House Committed to Ending Homelessness in the Monday May 25, 2009 Huffington Post by Deborah De Santis, President of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and a resident of the Garden State. To read her post click here.
Ms. De Santis was able to attend the bill signing at the White House with President Barack Obama.
She states, “With the sweep of his pen, President Barack Obama has accomplished what many of us have been fighting for since the early part of this century: the re-invigoration of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and a new focus on ending homelessness. This significant event was the culmination of Herculean efforts by organizations and advocates from around the country, and by some conscientious leaders on Capital Hill that found common ground and stuck with it. I am humbled knowing that CSH joined others who spent year after year fighting for legislation that will do so much to help so many people. They all deserve our praise.”
“Now, more than ever, with our economy in recession, Washington needs to show its commitment to caring for our vulnerable populations in ways that produce real results for those without a place to call home or proper medical care,” she said.
Her blog post stated “President Obama’s swift action reauthorizing McKinney-Vento means billions more to help vulnerable people break the cycle of homelessness. But his support and approval does not throw more money at a problem simply with a hope and prayer. The President has assured fundamental changes in the systems and programs designed to help homeless persons, where innovation and accountability will mean lasting progress toward the goal of ending homelessness.”
She concludes by saying “I am confident Senator Stewart B. McKinney and Congressman Bruce F. Vento would be pleased by the new, promising direction of their legacy.”
We agree with Ms. De Santis, but believe that there is still significant work to be done to achieve our goal of ending homelessness. The reauthorized McKinney-Vento is an important step upon which we can and will achieve our dreams.
One next step for all of us in New Jersey is to attend the 3rd Annual Congressional Reception on Tuesday July 28, 2009. Click here to register to attend.
