To:                  Mayor Braun and Abbotsford’s City Council

From:             James W. Breckenridge

Subject:        INVITATION to the Sunday September 13, 2015 presentation at the                                 Clearbrook Library of “THE PRICE OF PROCRASTINATION” 2 – 3 PM

Professional organizer, author and speaker Ranka Burzan will demonstrate three simple techniques that will leave participants energized and motivated.

Given the consequences of continuing the City of Abbotsford’s decade+ policy of procrastination, of choosing not to reduce homelessness, I invite Mayor Braun and city Councillors to join myself and other citizens seeking to overcome inertia and stop procrastinating.

We know how to reduce homelessness, with results from around the world, including the recent 5 year research study by the Canadian Government, providing proof of the effectiveness of Housing First.

Experience in Abbotsford and around the world provides proof of the actions that fail to reduce homelessness, actions that have allowed homelessness to increase.

An online toolbox provides tools to enable the homeless to remain in housing; rather than recycling repeatedly into housing for a short period before falling out of housing and back into homelessness.

Why Abbotsford’s mayors and councils have chosen to procrastinate, allowing homelessness to grow, while cities around the world use Housing First to reduce homelessness is not important at this point.

Given the level of homelessness that exists, the increases occurring in homelessness and the reality of municipal, provincial and federal government finances and budgets……..

……. basic mathematics makes it clear we do not have the luxury of continuing to procrastinate, but must begin the slow process of reducing the number of homeless – NOW.

Or suffer what basic mathematics sets out as the increasingly painful consequences of continued procrastination.