WHEREAS:

There are at least 250,000 and possibly as many as 3 million homeless persons in the United States; and,

WHEREAS:

An estimated 25 to 50 percent of the homeless suffer from serious, chronic mental illness; and,

WHEREAS:

The American Psychiatric Association has found that the practice of discharging mentally ill patients from state hospitals into ill-prepared communities has been a major contributing factor to homelessness; and,

WHEREAS:

The Reagan Administration's cutbacks in housing, social services, and disability programs are also major contributing factors to homelessness; and

WHEREAS:

Caring for our most vulnerable citizens is a traditional public responsibility that government should not and must not abdicate.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME calls upon the Federal, state and local governments to reaffirm their responsibility for the homeless and work together to provide them food, shelter, treatment, training and employment programs; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME urges the Administration and Congress to increase federal funding for housing, social service and disability programs targeted to provide services to the homeless; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME urges state governments to correct the damage caused by previous deinstitutionalization policies by directly providing mental health treatment to the mentally ill homeless; and,

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME calls upon the AFL-CIO to incorporate care for the homeless into its legislative program for 1985.