Homeless Advisory Board
Palm Beach County Homeless Advisory Board
www.TheHomelessPlan.org
Leo Abdella, Vice-Chairman
Appointed Representative – Faith-Based Community
The Homeless Advisory Board exists to make recommendations to the Palm County (FL) Commission regarding the spectrum of homeless issues. It is the responsibility of the Advisory Board to provide a plan that will significantly increase the quality of life through effective services.
“God loves those men and women who are homeless as much as He loves me,” says Leo Abdella. “Except for a small percentage of people who choose homelessness as a lifestyle, most of the homeless are victims in one way or another.”
“Many were physically or sexually abused at some point in their lives, or have mental health issues, or came out of the military without adequate services to re-acclimate them to civilian life. Those issues often lead to bad decisions concerning alcohol or drugs.” 
“At that point, they got caught in a downward cycle and can’t get out of it. It’s a cycle that will continue forever until we get back to the root causes.”
The Commissioners want Palm Beach County to be known as a leader in helping people transition from being homeless to being productive.
“They want people to recognize that if we invest in these people, we’re investing in our community as a whole,” says Leo Abdella. “A healthy community begins with a spirit of generosity.”
“By investing in people, you become a healthy community and prosperity follows.”
Hopefully, that investment began in earnest February 24, 2009 when the County Commission began looking at using $7.5 million in federal money to purchase a building to house the homeless, according to The Palm Beach Post. The effort would be part of a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Palm Beach County, as outlined in the executive summary. (Click here for a copy of the county’s full 89-page plan.)
Updates
Congressman Alcee Hasting, Jon Van Arnam – Assistant County Administrator and Leo Abdella – Vice Chairman Homeless Advisory Board
THE SEVEN GOALS
The objective of the Ten-year Plan to End Homelessness in Palm Beach County is to create a local homeless response system that will completely eliminate homelessness in ten years. The Plan is presented in the form of seven goals, outlined in detail in Chapter Four of this document, and presented in a priority order not related to a proposed date of initiation, but according to the areas of greatest need, and the intensity in which their implementation will impact the problem. In order to meet these goals, a comprehensive set of action steps have been developed which address current gaps in services, particularly as they relate to a number of underserved populations whose specific needs are not currently being met by those services available in our community.
GOAL 1: Develop a Universal System for Intake/Assessment and Enhance Client Information Management System
GOAL 2: Provide Interim Housing Services for Homeless Individuals/Families
GOAL 3: Coordinate Partnerships and Resources for Homeless Services
GOAL 4: Improve Access to Homeless Services with Outreach and Education
GOAL 5: Prevent Individuals and Families from Becoming Homeless
GOAL 6: Secure a Stable Stock of Affordable/Accessible Housing
GOAL 7: Provide System Oversight and Evaluation of the Ten-Year Plan
Philip Mangano, head of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, was at the Commission session and praised the county’s efforts to end the “moral and spiritual disgrace of homelessness,” according to The Post.
While in town, Mangano met with Leo Abdella.
