I'd like to answer a recent post and address some of the concerns posed therein:
1). "If Mayor Rybak is so horrible on homeless issues, why is it that Hennepin
County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, who is arguably the strongest advocate the
homeless have among our city or county elected officials, is on record as a
Rybak supporter? Could it be that perhaps the mayor is both interested and
involved in finding solutions to the problem of homelessness, but chooses to
focus on different priorities in that vast effort that Margaret Hastings or Guy
Gambill do?"
Gail Dorfman is, most assuredly, a wonderful advocate for the homeless
and I am
at a complete loss as to why she is supporting RT. In fact, the only reason I
didn't decide
to support Peter Mclaughlin earlier WAS that Gail was supporting RT. Again, I
don't
understand the reasons for her support...I cannot fathom how it would have
anything
to do with RT's stance on homelessness. As for the Mayor's being engaged in a
broader
effort to find solutions to the problem of homelessness...well, if I had been
involved only
in the Decriminalization of Homelessness Task Force it would be a fair
assessment
to say something like, "but chooses to focus on different priorities in that
vast effort that Margaret Hastings or Guy Gambill do?"
However, as I am a member of the Steering Committee for the Hennepin County
and City of MInneapolis Community Advisory Board on Homelessness (the 23
member, jointly appointed Board set up to advise the City and County on the
issue of homelessness), a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota
Coalition for the Homeless, involved in the
Downtown Mental Health and Livability Task Force chaired by Judge Hopper, was
on the Selection and Ranking Committee for the Continuum of Care (COC) for HUD
this year, a part of the COC Exhibit 1 Planning and Strategy Group, reviewed
the
City Consolidated Plan for the 5-Year Period as part of a team selected from
the CABoH,
been deeply involved in issues involving homelessness and Veterans, and have
also
served in many other efforts working directly with the issue of homelessness
for quite
some time now...the "vastness" of the issue is something that is all too
familiar...
and I can say with a high level of assurance that, in all that time, I have
never bumped
into RT Rybak. I've been greatly honored to assist Commissioner Dorfman and had
contact with her on many occasions...Gail listens and her sincerity is
unquestionable.
I've also had alot of contact with Peter Mclaughlin and know that he is also
personally
involved in finding solutions to the problem of homelessness. Recently, I also
had the
pleasure of making the acquaintance of Farheen Hakeem. I came into contact with
each of these 3 people in working on the issue of homelessness...where has RT
been?
Perhaps someone might help me out-in my apparently limited scope: if I
can't run
into RT during the "Housing First" Seminars that have occured, or at the
County\City
Advisory Boards, at PCRC meetings, at the Mental Health and Livability Task
Force
meetings, during COC planning meetings, at the Consolidated Plan review
meetings,
at any of the listening sessions on homelessness, at the recent MACV seminar on
Vets and Homelessness, at the Decrim Study Session, or any of the Pilot Project
discussions..just exactly where--in the vastness of the process-might I
encounter our
Mayor?
Again, don't you have to show up to accomplish something. Believe me, if
our Mayor
had such a deep and abiding concern for the homeless...I think I would have run
into
him at least once during the past year. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
Incidentally,
there are many, many advocates, providers and people involved in and around the
issue of housing and homelessness who feel the same way---I just came from a
meeting
full of such people...and, oh yeah, Mayor Rybak wasn't at that meeting either.
Guy Gambill
Uptown
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