City of Lowell issued the following announcement on Feb. 22.
The Task Force was made up of members with an interest in homelessness from county and municipal staff, local churches, county school system, local and state elected officials, law enforcement, legal aid, and subject matter experts. The Task Force spent 8 months putting together this report on how the county and community together could work on the homelessness issue. Even more difficult, we had to do this against the backdrop of the threat posed by COVID-19.
The Task Force examined existing conditions and developed findings on homelessness in Gaston County, which led to recommendations designed to help, protect, and assist people experiencing homelessness. The dedicated years of experience and well-rounded knowledge Task Force members brought to the table helped to identify root causes and provide solutions to the homelessness issue. Each day, homeless individuals experience the lack of permanent and affordable housing; a need for emergency shelters; transportation challenges and difficulty; lack of food; and no basic healthcare to name a few. In addition, the Task Force brought together the service providers to voice how collaboration, communication, and cooperation could be achieved to mitigate some of these issues.
Original source can be found here.
