| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 448 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, In the wake of the recent economic downturn, more |
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| 3 | 3 | | and more Americans are facing homelessness or the prospect of |
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| 4 | 4 | | losing their homes, including an increasing number who do not fit |
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| 5 | 5 | | the commonly held stereotype of the homeless; and |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, A homeless person is generally defined as an |
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| 7 | 7 | | individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime |
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| 8 | 8 | | residence, or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or |
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| 9 | 9 | | private place not designed for regular sleeping accommodation; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, While it is impossible to measure the rate of |
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| 11 | 11 | | homelessness with perfect accuracy, the Texas Homeless Network |
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| 12 | 12 | | estimates that close to 60,000 Texans experience homelessness on |
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| 13 | 13 | | any given day; and |
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| 14 | 14 | | WHEREAS, A sobering consequence of the nationwide economic |
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| 15 | 15 | | recession is the growing number of families and children |
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| 16 | 16 | | experiencing homelessness; according to a recent point-in-time |
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| 17 | 17 | | count, families now account for 30 percent of the state's |
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| 18 | 18 | | homeless population, and seven percent of the homeless are |
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| 19 | 19 | | unaccompanied minors; children who lack safe and permanent |
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| 20 | 20 | | housing often suffer from health and emotional problems as well |
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| 21 | 21 | | as impeded academic progress, with fewer than one in four |
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| 22 | 22 | | graduating from high school; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, The State of Texas is home to a great number of |
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| 24 | 24 | | charities, government agencies, businesses, and advocacy groups |
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| 25 | 25 | | that are committed to serving homeless populations and |
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| 26 | 26 | | developing solutions to prevent and reduce homelessness in our |
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| 27 | 27 | | communities; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, To that end, advocates from across the state are |
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| 29 | 29 | | gathering in Austin on April 2, 2015, to observe Homelessness |
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| 30 | 30 | | Awareness Day at the State Capitol; this occasion presents a |
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| 31 | 31 | | worthwhile opportunity to promote greater understanding of |
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| 32 | 32 | | issues facing homeless individuals and to foster solidarity in |
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| 33 | 33 | | statewide endeavors to end homelessness, a problem whose |
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| 34 | 34 | | implications for the future of our society cannot be overstated; |
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| 35 | 35 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 36 | 36 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th |
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| 37 | 37 | | Legislature, hereby recognize April 2, 2015, as Homelessness |
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| 38 | 38 | | Awareness Day and commend all those who are working on this |
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| 39 | 39 | | important issue. |
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| 40 | 40 | | Watson |
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| 41 | 41 | | ________________________________ |
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| 42 | 42 | | President of the Senate |
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| 43 | 43 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 44 | 44 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 45 | 45 | | the Senate on March 30, 2015. |
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| 46 | 46 | | ________________________________ |
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| 47 | 47 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 48 | 48 | | ________________________________ |
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| 49 | 49 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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