The Fall River Homeless Task Force held a Legislative Luncheon on January 11, 2011 at the First Step Inn, 177 North Main Street, to hear directly from homeless and formerly homeless residents and to update the Fall River legislative delegation on its plan to reduce homelessness in the city. State Representatives Kevin Aguiar, David Sullivan, and Paul Schmid as well as City Councilor Eric Poulin and Community Development director Michael Dion joined Task Force members Al Araujo, Janet Richardi, Maggie Smith, Mary Camara, Rosa Medeiros, Tim McCoy, Kim Carvalho and David Weed for the discussion following a lunch of shepherds' pie. Following testimony from the residents that detailed their experiences in trying to acquire low-cost housing. Janet Richardi, director of the South Coast Regional Network to End Homelessness, made the case for supporting a shift to the Housing First approach to assisting homeless persons rather than continuing to pour enormous resources into temporary emergency housing. For more information about the task force, contact co-chair Mary Camara at 508-679-0131.
 

(Top row, left) Eric Poulin, David Sullivan, Paul Schmid, Tim McCoy, Kim Carvalho and Kevin Aguiar meet outside the First Step Inn just south of the YMCA on North Main Street. (Top row, center) Paul Desrosiers pours some iced tea while Representative Sullivan is served some shepherds' pie prepared by Bernadette Gouveia. (Top row, right) Billy chats with State Representative Paul Schmid. (Middle row, center) George DeMoura speaks passionately about the difficulties that homeless persons experience in Fall River. (Middle row, right) First Step Inn director Rosa Medeiros listens as Janet Richardi speaks. (Bottom row, left) Al Araujo talks about some of the barriers to ending homelessness as Maggie Smith of the Fall River Family Center listens. (Bottom row, center) Bernadette Gouveia listens as Paul Desrosiers suggests some ways to address the problem. (Bottom row, right) Community Development director Michael Dion describes the planned YMCA housing facility that will provide low-income housing with a veteran's preference as Representative Sullivan, Kim Carvalho, Eric Poulin and Janet Richardi listen.

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