With all of the enormous tasks that President Obama is juggling — oil gushing into the Gulf, two wars, a recession — he decided to add another big one to the mix yesterday: ending homelessness. The president announced the first ever national plan to end homelessness on Tuesday at the White House. It’s ambitious: the 74-page plan aims to end chronic homelessness and homelessness among veterans within five years, and homelessness for families and children within ten years.
We’re joined by Rita Clark, policy director for the Miami Coalition for the Homeless. Clark says the national plan is part of the solution, but that it’s going to be critical to ensure that there are specific timetables and funding to implement the plan. We also talk with Barbara Bowie, a homeless veteran currently living in a VA shelter in Fort Lauderdale.
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