On behalf of the City of Lowell, I would like to congratulate the City’s student essay contest Grand Prize and Honorable Mention award winners and recognize all of the principals, teachers and student participants for their dedication and hard work in support of this important initiative.

As you may know, the City of Lowell has recently joined hundreds of cities and small towns across the nation in creating a 10-year plan designed to end homelessness, as we now know it, in our community. To undertake this effort, an unprecedented group of over 100 public, private and non-profit leaders volunteered to develop a 10-year, multi-sector strategy to address concerns and recommend solutions to end homelessness in the city.
The Partnership for Change: Action Plan to End Homelessness is based on the principle that there is nothing more important than having a home. For some it’s a place at least to sleep, for the majority of those homeless a place to play with their children and for those fortunate, a place to age in place and enjoy their senior years in peace and safety.

This Essay Contest is one of the first initiatives of the Action Plan. The goal was to engage students in the discussion of the main principle of the plan, the importance of “home”, why a home is so important to us, and what it would be like not to have a home—to be homeless.

Through this essay contest the City begins a dialogue with the community on the challenging and often misunderstood issues relating to homelessness—starting with those who will be most effected by the decisions that we make today. As you will see from the essays, we think our city will be in very good hands.

Sincerely,

Bernard F. Lynch
City Manager