Chris Buice, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church minister, wrote a supportive opinion piece published in the News Sentinel this weekend.
The difficulty of addressing homelessness is that it is not one problem. It is many problems. The primary cause may be a house fire or a bad economy or a mental health diagnosis or an addiction or low wages or a health care crisis or – the list could go on and on, which is precisely why we need a good, comprehensive, long-range plan. The Ten Year Plan is our best hope, a product of conscientious, thoughtful and compassionate leadership.
Rev. Buice points out that many, many members of our community are active contributors to our efforts to help people who experience homelessness here, but “…that caring needs a structure.” And that structure is the TYP.
Our community’s TYP is not just about placing people in supportive housing. It’s quite comprehensive and has been all along. Strategy #3 in the TYP is Increase Coordination and Effectiveness of Service. There are eight strategies in addition to this one that make up our TYP’s approach, but it is still important to recognize that the TYP exists within the context of a caring and compassionate community whose people have proven their hearts by their actions.