United Way CEO to Participate in
Washington D.C. Roundtable to End Homelessness
BRIDGEPORT, CT - (July 17, 2007) Jay Hein, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has invited United Way of Eastern Fairfield County President & CEO Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq., to participate in a White House Compassion in Action Roundtable, "Faith and Community-Based Partnerships to End Homelessness." The Roundtable, which takes place on July 18, will feature Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Alphonso Jackson, who will discuss his Department's role in creating and promoting private/public partnerships to combat homelessness. Additionally, a wide range of business leaders, government officials, and social entrepreneurs who are agents of change in their communities, will take part in the event. The Roundtable audience will be comprised of government officials, policymakers, foundation officials, philanthropists and faith-based and community leaders.
Berke-Schlessel is optimistic about the Roundtable’s potential for informing United Way’s Destination Home initiative, to ensure that all residents have appropriate housing along with a network of wraparound support services. She also looks forward to bringing back and sharing strategies to address our local communities’ efforts with the issue of homelessness. She commented, “While The Greater Bridgeport Area Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness is beginning to have a positive impact on this problem, we welcome any and all proven best practices to help us reach our goal of ending homelessness by 2015.”
This roundtable will explore a number of today’s most promising efforts to combat homelessness. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will highlight promising models from its Unlocking Doors Initiative, which partners with city governments to engage faith-based and community organizations in developing affordable housing plans and promoting homeownership. The event will also explore pioneering efforts through the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, including innovative partnerships with grassroots organizations to combat homelessness in communities across the country.
United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s mission is to mobilize a stronger, more caring community across Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. Our focus is on what matters. We are bringing people together from all across the community – people from government, business, faith groups, nonprofits, and ordinary citizens – to tackle the issues that matter most. United Way is committed to the bottom line results: the lives we change and the communities we shape. Find out more at www.thewaytocare.org.
