Sacred Heart University President, Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, has recently joined a group of community leaders who hope to end homelessness in Bridgeport. The City's Leadership Group on Ending Homelessness in the Greater Bridgeport area held its kick-off meeting in City Hall on December 15.

Each member of the group was invited to join this effort by Bridgeport Mayor John M. Fabrizi, whose charge is to fulfill the mission that within ten years, every resident will have permanent, affordable and safe housing with the ability to maintain it.

“Ending homelessness in the Bridgeport area is an ambitious though achievable goal. The City is committed to ending homelessness through the development of a ten-year plan—a plan that will include prevention, intervention and results-oriented approaches,” stated Mayor Fabrizi.

The leadership group members are part of an advisory panel that will provide important feedback to five subcommittees, each with a particular goal. They include:

1. Making safe and affordable housing available and ending the concentrations of poverty in communities

2. Establishing a seamless safety net

3. Developing and implementing income strategies

4. Implementing discharge planning

5. Raising public awareness of the issues.

Philip Mangano, executive director of the U. S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, joined the kick-off event. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the Council, which is responsible for the coordination of 20 federal agencies in their response to reduce and end homelessness.

Contact: Funda Alp (alpf@sacredheart.edu)

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