Council’s action shows a lack of compassion

In 2006, Lloyd Pendleton helped create Utah’s Housing First Program with a goal to functionally eliminate the state’s chronic homelessness problem within 10 years. The program prioritized providing people without homes with short-term assistance to find permanent housing quickly and without conditions. By 2016 the number of homeless dropped from 1,932 to 168. Pendleton has been consulting with other states on how to eliminate chronic homelessness.

.Due to Utah’s great success, The Chico Housing Action Team invited Lloyd Pendleton to speak in Chico. On 11/1½017 Bidwell Presbyterian Church was packed with community members interested in learning their approach. Lloyd Pendleton stressed the importance to success was having the mayor, city council members, all governmental agencies and non-profits on the same page in providing a humanitarian approach. He asked if the mayor was in attendance, Mayor Sorenson was not present. He asked how many city council members were present. All progressive city council members were in attendance while all of all of the conservative members were absent. Due to the lack of interest in learning how to be successful in problem solving, there was clearly a lack of political interest among some key leaders.

At the 12/9/2020 City Council Meeting, Councilmembers Coolidge, Reynolds, Denlay, Morgan and Tandon voted to criminalize camping in a city park. Their quick action to criminalize shows an incompetence in problem solving and a lack of compassion. Thankfully councilmembers Brown and Huber voted against this cruel, inhumane, and ineffective solution.

Conservative majority: Rescind your vote immediately!

— Norma Wilcox, Chico