| 2 | 3 | | |
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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Each year, hundreds of thousands of American |
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| 6 | 7 | | families and individuals face homelessness or the prospect of |
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| 7 | 8 | | losing their homes; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A homeless person is generally defined as an |
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| 9 | 10 | | individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime |
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| 10 | 11 | | residence, or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or |
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| 11 | 12 | | private place not designed for regular sleeping accommodation; and |
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| 12 | 13 | | WHEREAS, While it is impossible to measure the rate of |
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| 13 | 14 | | homelessness with perfect accuracy, the Texas Homeless Network |
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| 14 | 15 | | estimates that close to 60,000 Texans experience homelessness on |
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| 15 | 16 | | any given day and that more than 2,200 of these people are youths; |
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| 16 | 17 | | and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, A significant number of these Texans defy the |
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| 18 | 19 | | commonly held stereotype of the homeless; according to a 2013 |
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| 19 | 20 | | point-in-time count, families represent 30 percent of the state's |
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| 20 | 21 | | homeless population, and 2.4 percent of the homeless are |
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| 21 | 22 | | unaccompanied minors; children who lack safe and permanent housing |
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| 22 | 23 | | often suffer from health and emotional problems as well as impeded |
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| 23 | 24 | | academic progress, with fewer than one in four graduating from high |
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| 24 | 25 | | school; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, The State of Texas is home to a great number of |
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| 26 | 27 | | charities, government agencies, businesses, and advocacy groups |
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| 27 | 28 | | that are committed to serving homeless populations and developing |
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| 28 | 29 | | solutions to prevent and reduce homelessness in our communities; |
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| 29 | 30 | | and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, To that end, advocates from across the state are |
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| 31 | 32 | | gathering in Austin on April 2, 2015, to observe Homelessness |
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| 32 | 33 | | Awareness Day at the State Capitol; this occasion presents an |
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| 33 | 34 | | opportunity to promote greater understanding of issues facing |
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| 34 | 35 | | homeless individuals and to foster solidarity in statewide |
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| 35 | 36 | | endeavors to end homelessness, a problem with implications for the |
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| 36 | 37 | | future of our society that cannot be overstated; now, therefore, be |
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| 37 | 38 | | it |
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| 38 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 39 | 40 | | Legislature hereby recognize April 2, 2015, as Homelessness |
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| 40 | 41 | | Awareness Day and commend all those endeavoring to aid the homeless |
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| 41 | 42 | | for their important work. |
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