LOUISVILLE #1?

According to today's C-J Louisville has been named America's most liveable City according to the conference of Mayors.

Good job I guess. Of course with Jerry being basically a lifetime member of this organization and holding office longer than any other Mayor in the conference one wonders what seniority had to do with this.

In 2006 I launched a campaign against Mayor Abramson in part because of the negative trends we all see everyday and the report from the conference of Mayors then backed up the problems.

Here is a brief copy of that report:

Big US cities report steep rise in hunger and homelessness
Hunger and homelessness continued to rise in America’s big cities during 2005. Requests for emergency food assistance increased by 12 per cent, while demand for emergency shelter went up by six per cent.

However, the US cities report that evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had not been a significant strain on their resources, but they are concerned about a lack of federal commitment to the evacuees.

Furthermore, according to big city mayors, the outlook for 2006 is bleaker still, with 90 per cent believing hunger and homelessness will increase further.

On average, 18 per cent of the requests for emergency food assistance are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year.

For families alone, 18 per cent of the requests for assistance are estimated to have gone unmet. In 43 per cent of the cities, emergency food assistance facilities may have to turn away people in need due to lack of resources.

Fifty-four per cent of the people requesting emergency food assistance were members of families - children and their parents.

Forty per cent of the adults requesting food assistance were employed.

Twenty-one cities cited unemployment and other employment-related problems: Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Louisville, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Santa Monica, Seattle and Trenton.Nine cities identified medical or health costs: Boston, Cedar Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit, Louisville, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland and Salt Lake City.

Four cities cited transportation costs: Cedar Rapids, Detroit, Louisville and Salt Lake City. Los Angeles, Portland and San Antonio cited childcare costs; Nashville, San Antonio and Trenton identified lack of education; and Cedar Rapids, Denver and Louisville cited utility costs.

Lack of affordable housing was identified as a major cause of homelessness in 19 cities: Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Louisville, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle, and Trenton.

Low-paying jobs were cited by 17 cities as a main cause of homelessness: Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Louisville, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Seattle.

Mental illness and the lack of needed services were identified by 16 cities as a primary cause of homelessness: Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Louisville, Los Angeles, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, St. Paul, San Antonio, Santa Monica, and Trenton.

Substance abuse and the lack of needed services were identified by 15 cities as a main cause of homelessness: Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Louisville, Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, St. Paul, San Antonio, Santa Monica, and Trenton.

Outlook
Officials in 90 per cent of the responding cities expect requests for emergency food assistance to increase during 2006.

Eighty-six per cent expect that requests for emergency food assistance by families with children will increase during 2006. Officials in 93 per cent of the cities expect that requests for emergency shelter will increase next year.

Ninety-five per cent expect that requests by homeless families will increase.

Survey participants
The mayors of the cities included in the 2005 survey are members of the Conference of Mayors Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness.

They are:Boston Mayor Thomas Menino
Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle
Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley
Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson
Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz
Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell
Philadelphia Mayor John Street
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon
Portland Mayor Tom Potter
Providence Mayor David Cicilline
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson
San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Santa Monica Mayor Pam O'Connor
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer

Have things gotten better or worse?

More good paying jobs hemorrhaging from the City being replaced by low paying jobs when replaced, a housng crisis, what has improved?

Seems we still have a way to go for this honor.