Who can say they know the solution to the problems of homelessness? No one.
Thankfully, though, we do have a local leader who has embraced the problem and is working strenuously to address it. That leader is Durango City Councilor Melissa Youssef. Over the past four years, Youssef has shared in our compassion for people living homeless. She has also understood well that our community needs proactive, realistic, strategic steps towards better solutions to the problems of homelessness.
Over a decade ago, I served on Durango City Council. This was a time when our community was engaged in contentious debate about affordable housing. To make headway toward solutions, I learned to “count to three.” Three: that is the number of council votes needed to pass an ordinance – any new law – to shift the community into action steps and solve a problem.
Likewise, Melissa Youssef knows how to count to three. In collaboration with other leaders, Youssef has made headway on the problems of homelessness, including appropriate funding, use of Purple Cliffs as a resource for temporary housing, progress toward permanent supportive housing, and an information center.
This April 6, I urge you to join me in voting for Melissa Youssef. She is a tremendous, forward-thinking leader and has demonstrated her intelligence and her commitment to caring for and improving the city we love. She will carry forward immense institutional knowledge into a year already filled with extreme change and challenges yet to come.
Leigh Meigs Durango
