MIAMI, FLORIDA. The United States Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami this week, focused their attention on the range of issues in their communities for which jurisdictional leaders accept responsibility and accountability and seek results. The Mayors in attendance unanimously supported a resolution calling on Mayors across the country to sign America's Road Home, the unprecedented 12- point agreement on strategies to prevent and homelessness.

This Special Issue of the e-news provides a more detailed look at the America's Road Home Statement, its history, and key principles. Pictured here are Council Director Mangano, Denver Mayor Hickenlooper, and USCM President and Miami Mayor Diaz.

In an editorial focused on the Mayors' meeting ("Nation's mayors have an ambitious agenda") the Miami Herald , noting that Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is the new President of USCM, observed that the Mayors' agenda in Miami included reporting on challenges and successes. " . . . Members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Miami this weekend shared their problems and successes, heard experts discuss challenges facing them and compiled a list of issues their representatives will take to Washington, D.C., and to state capitols . . "

Following on its own reportage of the previous day ("Advice for mayors: 'Cure' the homeless"), the Herald also remarked on the contributions of United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who urged the Mayors "to cure homelessness" - not treat it - in their cities.

Stated the Herald in closing: "The backbone of the country are its cities. When they are in good shape, so too, is the nation as a whole."

The America's Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions commits Mayors and County officials to work together in a housing-focused strategy that gives special attention to the needs of veterans and involves partnership with business, philanthropy, and community and faith- based organizations.

Twenty-two Mayors and County officials representing jurisdictional leadership on homelessness across the nation signed the unprecedented 12-point Statement of Principles and Actions to end chronic homelessness last November 16 at a National Summit convened by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, Melville Charitable Trust President Robert Hohler, and supported by Fannie Mae. National and regional philanthropies participated in the Summit and had opportunity to engage jurisdictional leaders and review the Statement.

The elected officials' agreement affirms the roles of the U.S. Interagency Council, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National Association of Counties in providing jurisdictional leadership through 10 Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness, adoption of innovations such as Housing First, ACT teams, and Project Homeless Connect, and the involvement of the philanthropic community in investing in results with a focus on permanent housing.

The Denver Summit was modeled on the successful bipartisan mayoral partnerships on climate change and illegal guns. A bipartisan summit of 15 Mayors convened in April 2006 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to focus on illegal guns. The representative sample of Mayors met to discuss strategies and create a mayoral action plan that could be advanced with other cities, as well as with other levels of government and the private sector.

Resolution No. 25 at the U.S. Conference of Mayors affirmed the America's Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions and urged Mayors to become signatories and implementers of the Principles in their jurisdictions and committed the Conference of Mayors to advance the Principles with Presidential candidates.

The resolution was sponsored and introduced by new USCM President and Miami Mayor Manuel A. Diaz, Denver Summit Co-convener and Mayor John Hickenlooper, Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Task Force Co- chair and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Dallas Mayor Thomas C. Leppert , St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden.

Additional sponsors were Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, and Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo.
Also sponsoring were Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, Fort Myers Mayor James T. Humphrey, Providence Mayor David Cicilline, Santa Monmica Mayor Herb Katz, Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, and Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy.

Following is the full text of the 12- point Statement of Principles and Actions that constitute the partnership statement. The USCM Community Development and Housing Committee is shown here during its meeting at the Conference. Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt (at left) chaired the session with USCM Assistant Director Eugene Lowe (second from left) and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton are shown during the committee meeting.

Now, therefore, we resolve to work together in a national partnership of every level of government and the private sector, with our fellow cities and counties and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to identify, adopt, and create innovative initiatives to advance the following principles and actions:

1. End the homelessness of our most vulnerable and disabled citizens who reside on our streets and in our shelters, those experiencing chronic homelessness, especially including homeless veterans.

2. With the support of our partners work to shorten the time any person is homeless.

3. Accept jurisdictional responsibility for accountability and results in the broader partnership that includes other levels of government and the private sector for an issue that is visible, expensive, and unacceptable in our communities.

4. Affirm our jurisdictionally-led, community- based 10 Year Plans as the community's primary planning strategy to effect accountability and results in ending and preventing homelessness.

5. Develop these plans to ensure that the measurable outcomes are sustainable and render lasting solutions to homelessness.

6. Endorse housing solutions as our primary investment to end homelessness, recognizing that shelter and punitive responses are often expensive and ineffective in reducing numbers and restoring lives and affirm that permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing models offer our most disabled citizens the housing and services they need in a cost effective response.

7. Affirm the work of faith and community based agencies for the work they have done on the frontlines for decades and partner with them to fashion innovative responses that are results- oriented.

8. Invite the business and philanthropic communities to be a partner in our efforts, especially local business associations, foundations, Business Improvement Districts, the United Way, and Chambers of Commerce.

9. Work with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the United States Conference of Mayors Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness, the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness to assure rapid dissemination of innovations that ensures that every community will have equal access to the best ideas that create results in ending homelessness.

10. Create Project Homeless Connect events, the one-day, one-stop, targeted to homeless people in offering an array of housing, employment, and treatment services along with quality of life resources, as a component of our 10 Year Plan response.

11. Support all local, state, and federal legislation and resources that will offer new capabilities for investment in results.

12. Invite other communities to join us in this national effort.

We, the undersigned Mayors and County officials, do hereby commit to this Statement of Principles and Actions, embrace its goals, and announce our intention to work in partnership in bringing the homelessness of our most vulnerable and disabled neighbors to an end in the United States.

Watch for tomorrow's Special Issue, when we will highlight the Mayors' other Conference actions on behalf of people who are homeless.

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