Mayor John Giles has been selected to co-chair a national, bi-partisan effort to engage communities across the country in the effort to end veterans homelessness. The collaborate effort between the White House and the U.S. Conference of Mayors will build upon the success of the Mayors Challenge to end Veterans Homelessness that has been initiated in more than 850 cities.
Mesa joined the Mayor's Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness in January 2015 and in one year found permanent supportive housing for more than 70 veterans. Mesa has coordinated dozens of local organizations, municipalities and federal agencies to provide the resources needed to find housing for our veterans.
"I'm proud to co-chair this task force with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu as we work to honor the service of our veterans by making sure all of them have a home to call their own," Mayor John Giles said. "By focusing our resources and maximizing our commitment, we can end veteran homelessness in our communities and our country."
The goals of the task force include:
Creating a space for learning and peer information sharing about veterans homelessness issues Partnering with federal agencies to distribute best practices to mayors who have joined the Mayors Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness Proactively supporting mayors who have joined the challenge regarding their community-based landlord engagement strategies Growing the number of mayors who have accepted the challengeEnding veterans homelessness is not a one time achievement. Each day, veterans are coming home after serving our country with a myriad of stresses that can lead to homelessness while each day others face deployment. The final goal is to have a system in place to help veterans in need of find housing before they end up on the streets. It's the least we can do.
The first meeting of the task force is this week in Washington, D.C. during the U.S. Conference of Mayors 84th winter meeting.
Mayor's Office
Contact: Melissa Randazzo
Tel. 480-644-3219
melissa.randazzo@mesaaz.gov