May 27, 2014

Mayor Jim Gray and LFUCG Council Members:

As an organization that supports and advocates for issues of justice and
equality for all persons, this letter aims to express serious concern for the
Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Ordinance No. 129-2013
the Day Shelter Ordinancewhich we believe should be rescinded at
once.

We know the Lexington community is better than this. We are dismayed our
local government would prevent the expansion of services to the neediest
among us while pandering to those who cry N.I.M.B.Y. Albeit shameful,
national attention has deservedly been drawn to the legislations vague
description of people with limited financial resources, including people
who are homeless.

Requiring additional permits for organizations that aide impoverished
individuals is discriminatory. What is more, obtaining the permit likely
serves as an insurmountable obstacle for many providers, given their own
limited financial and human resources. We are also concerned that, since the
Day Shelter Ordinance was passed last year, it has been enforced in an
arbitrary manner. When applying for expansion, it has come to our attention
that some essential service centers were not required to obtain the
conditional permit, while others were. Inconsistencies implementing the
ordinance only add weight to the foundation of unfair treatment.

Restrictive permits for those serving the poor displays a lack of compassion
for the most vulnerable citizens and supports misconceived views of those
with less wealth as undesirable neighbors or potentially dangerous. We
believe all people in need of assistance deserve fair and equal access,
whatever their location or circumstance. It is unjust to equate wealth with
worth. An enlightened, democratic government must protect the interests of
all its citizens from discrimination, not single out individuals based on
financial status.

Sadly, structural changes in our global economy squeeze an increasing
number of working individuals and families toward the poverty line. Access
to affordable housing in Lexington continues to decline while real wages
remain stagnant. Given these environmental factors, we predict a need for
expanding the very services this ordinance hinders. The Day Shelter
Ordinance is the wrong response to our poverty problems and should be
immediately rescinded so that our local government may serve all citizens of
Lexington justly.

Respectfully,

The Board of the Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice


@ The Plantory
560 East Third St. #105
Lexington, KY 40508
(859) 4881448

peaceandjusticeky@gmail.com
www.peaceandjusticeky.org



Officers
Rebecca DiLoreto, Co-Chair
David Christiansen, Co-Chair
Mary Ann Ghosal, Secretary
Craig Wilkie, Treasurer

Board of Directors
Marion Gibson
Rahul Karanth
Susan Lamb
Richard Mitchell
Bruce Mundy
Howard Myers
Kerby Neill
Steve Pavey
Nadia Rasheed
Janet Tucker


Administrative Support
Randolph Hollingsworth
Candice Rider
Gail Koehler

Peaceways Editor
Peg Gabriel







The Central Kentucky Council
for Peace and Justice is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.