TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING THE U.S. CONGRESS TO PRIORITIZE FUNDING FOR CAMILLUS HOUSE

BODY
WHEREAS, Camillus House has grown from a small soup kitchen into a full service center offering comprehensive services countywide, helping thousands of individuals and families achieve lives of self-sufficiency and independence; and
WHEREAS, Camillus House currently operates more than 800 emergency, transitional, and permanent beds, and reaches more than 10,000 persons per year by offering services that include basic emergency services such as food and shelter, substance abuse and mental health treatment, primary health care, housing, and career development at thirteen sites around Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, Camillus House must relocate its current main center of operations located at 726 NE 1st Avenue, to a new site able to accommodate larger number of clients in a clean and dignified setting; and
WHEREAS, Camillus House has negotiated an agreement with the University of Miami, the City of Miami, and the State of Florida, whereby Camillus will attain a 60-year lease on a 3.1 acre plot of land located at NW 7th Avenue and 16th Street; and
WHEREAS, the total projected cost of the proposed new facility is $88,000,000; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County has appropriated $10 million for the project's construction; and
WHEREAS, Camillus House is seeking an appropriation of $3.8 million from the federal government for the project's construction; and
WHEREAS, this Board strongly supports Camillus House and its request for federal funding,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the U.S. Congress to appropriate $3.8 million for Camillus House's new facility.
Section 2. Urges the U.S. Congress to prioritize such funding for Camillus House.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Miami-Dade County Congressional Delegation.
Section 4. Directs the County's federal lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation set forth in Section 1 above, and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2007 and 2008 Federal Legislative Packages as a County priority.