Commission on Homelessness

Troy Tornatta, County Commissioner

Jonathan Weinzapfel, Mayor

Steve Melcher, City Councilman

Patty Avery, Homeless Youth Coalition

John Browning, Southwestern Indiana Mental Health

B. Diane Clements, Human Relations Commission

Marcia Gordon, Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Cathy Gray, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation

Tom Horstman, WorkOne Southwest

Lynne Imes, Homeless Services Council of Southwest Indiana

Gayl Killough, Department of Metropolitan Development

Walt Lowe, Lowe Realty, Inc.

Mildred Motley, Evansville Housing Authority

Cynthia Smith, Homeless Youth Coalition

The Commission held its first meeting on June 7, 2005.

The leadership will alternate between the Mayor and the County Commissioners, with Mayor Weinzapfel serving as the chair the first year.  Operational guidelines for the Commission are being developed.  Aurora, Inc. will assist the City and County in facilitating the commission’s meetings and tasks.

The Commission meets monthly and members have become familiar with the plan, housing, discharge planning, and prevention initiatives. They will establish baseline measures to determine the success of identified strategies, look at the issues of raising incomes and developing sustainable funding, and identify ways to connect Destination: Home strategies to other community initiatives already underway.

The purpose of the Commission is to make non-binding recommendations to city and county government, nonprofit organizations, and other interested agencies concerning the ten-year plan to end homelessness. It will also make similar recommendations on other issues of importance concerning homelessness in our community and oversee progress on the implementation of Destination: Home.

"Our City-County Commission on Homelessness has brought together a wide-range of community representatives to address the plight of the homeless. I am pleased by the progress that is being made through our monthly meetings and look forward to continuing the dialogue to help ensure individuals and families in Evansville and Vanderburgh County have the most basic of needs met."

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel

"The nation’s housing challenges will not diminish without the involvement of all levels of government, as well as the collaboration of businesses and nonprofit housing and service providers."

Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University,

State of the Nation’s Housing 2005