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directly contributed $50,000 last year and $25,000 this year. The Task Force is hopeful that <br />the County will be able to fund an additional $25,000 this year and private funding has <br />picked up somewhat. It is not responsible or practical to proceed without seeking federal <br />funds for all agencies that provide assistance including the Samaritan Center, the Salvation <br />Army, SafeSpace, and New Horizons. The Continuum of Care Plan will coordinate all care <br />given by the entire community and identify what services are available. However, the Plan <br />requires research and compliance with the guidelines and is expected to take several months <br />to prepare. The Coalition raised $50,000 from private funding in one day to hire Louise <br />Hubbard to write the Plan and it is expected to be filed by May of this year. The Riverside <br />Theater provided free office space for a period of time and then the law firm of Rossway, <br />Moore & Taylor provided office space, also at no charge. It would be much too costly to <br />build a new facility but the Task Force is recommending expansion of the current facilities <br />and, if that plan is approved, the stage will be set to seek increased support for the proposed <br />project. <br />Mr. Stark continued that the Task Force needs to be restructured in an effort to <br />become more effective. Under the current structure, they are subject to the Sunshine Law <br />and are very uneasy about those regulations. <br />Dick Van Mele, President of the Board of Directors, noted that asking for help is a <br />humbling experience. However, the Task Force has come to the conclusion that hundreds <br />and hundreds of homeless people are not being served. There were 822 homeless over the <br />last few months who were turned away because we have no emergency facility in this <br />County. They are asking that the County lease the building located at 2525 141` Avenue <br />which is presently being used for storage of records. The Coalition would then renovate the <br />building by painting it and providing 2 new bathrooms, as well as updating the electric, <br />APRIL 189 2000 <br />-35- BOOK M PAGE IL <br />