PRESS RELEASES - FEBRUARY 2007

Community Discusses 10-year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in Arlington
Community Meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, March 8

February 23, 2007

A community meeting to discuss the research and actions that will lead to the development of a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness in Arlington is scheduled for 6 p.m., Thursday, March 8, at the Southeast Tarrant County Arlington Human Services Complex.
The Complex is located at 501 W. Sanford St. in Arlington. The meeting will occur in Conference Room A on the first floor.

In January, the City of Arlington and the Arlington Housing Authority partnered with the University of Texas at Arlington to help develop a better understanding of chronic homelessness in Arlington.

According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the homeless represent approximately 10 percent of the total homeless population. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a chronically homeless person as someone who is single, disabled and continually homeless for one year or who has had four episodes of homelessness in the last three years.

James Petrovich with the UT-Arlington School of Social Work said the community meeting is “intended to share with the community our plan to conduct innovative research that will assist in the development of a comprehensive strategy to assist people who are homeless in Arlington.”
Arlington Housing Authority Executive Director David Zappasodi says UT-Arlington has a significant role in helping to develop the plan.

“The City of Arlington is behind the development of this plan, and is contributing the support of personnel from the Police, Fire, and Community Services departments to assist in this effort,” he said.

For more information about the community meeting, call Tim Jones at 817-276-6730 or e-mail Jonest@ci.arlington.tx.us.