 Before I get into my remarks today, let me make one thing perfectly clear. As I end 40 years of public service and I don't find myself on the ballot that will be coming before you in May, it is a bittersweet departure and yet at the same time I want you to know that my determination to address the issue of homelessness in our city burns just as bright and just as strong as it did when we began the journey to create a 10-year plan. And Rosie and I are going to be right in the middle of that issue. I don't know how much the stock is worth of a former mayor, but we're going to find out when it comes to the issue of homelessness because this is a challenge that we can address and we can overcome. It's going to take all of us pulling our words together and I'll talk more about that in a moment. But this is an issue that I am very passionate about. I was talking to Otis earlier as we arrived and I said there's something I've noticed. There are less homeless people on our street. Y'all notice that? Is it just me? Is there a different attitude on the street about whether or not this city cares about not just the most of us but the least of us? Do you think that everyone is starting to understand that our city is only as strong as our weakest citizen and only as rich as our poorest? Y'all believe that? Well so do we. So do we. Council Member Carter, but dad is here. I want you to know a little something about Carter. Carter is known as a crotchety old council member. He sets his jaw, he sets it permanent and I think that goes back to the years of practice and law. It also goes back to his principles about standing up for what you believe is right and he has never wavered on this issue, Otis. Every time I have gone to him about our budget needs to address homelessness, Carter has never hesitated. Even though he is mighty careful about those tax dollars, every single one of them. But he knows how important this journey is and he knows that directions home isn't just a plan, it is a plan that is working. It is a plan that has led to having room in our shelter during this last ice storm when everybody else was focused on Superbowl, others were focused on survival. They didn't care about whether it was the Packers or the Steelers. They cared about the next day, getting through the one that they were in, getting through the next day. And we had room in our shelters for those who wanted to come in. That tells me our plan is working, ladies and gentlemen. Directions home is working. I don't think that's ever been the case, Otis, when we've had that kind of weather, that we actually had room. That tells me we don't need any more shelters. What we need is more permanent, supportive housing. That's what we need. That's what we need because it works. It works. You know, we learned three things when we took our trip to look at best practices and worst practices. And I know I'm way off our script. Hell, I don't even know if I'm going to give a speech. We learned three things. We learned that just putting someone who is homeless into a home with a roof over their head doesn't work. You give them a key to the door, but that doesn't work. We also learned that just giving them services without a home doesn't work either. And we finally learned probably the most valuable lesson of all, and that is doing nothing certainly doesn't work. But permanent supportive housing has been the mainstay of Directions home, and that will take us where we need to go. That will take us where we need to go. I am very, very concerned about what is taking place at the state level because the money that was given to large cities to address homelessness at the big test of all of the large city mayors who went to Austin and asked to help us to address this issue gave us the dollars for case workers, gave us the dollars for project wish. How many of y'all have heard of that program? Works, doesn't it? Works, and those dollars right now in that budget have been whacked. Not some of them, all of them, all of them. Whether or not they will be restored, I don't know. I don't know where homelessness falls in the priority list of this Governor. I don't know where it falls in the priority list of the people who represent you, but you need to let them know that you're concerned about it. And if we don't get those dollars, then Mark, we have to do something else. We have to do what Fort Worth did when the ice storm came along with over 100,000 people for Super Bowl. We have to adjust, we have to adapt, and we have to overcome. It does us no good to whine about what we can't do. We've got to concentrate and focus on what we can. And if that means realigning our priorities, if that means redirecting Carter, those efforts to the council where y'all showed up in large numbers, worked before. I was sitting there, it did increase the pucker factor when all y'all showed up. And it got the attention of this council. And let me tell you something, that works in Austin too. Works in Washington. When folks show up, when they speak up, when they suit up, people listen. And you're going to have to do that. You're going to have to organize. You're going to have to take that message. You're going to have to take it to Austin. And you're going to have to visit individually with every member of this council. Carter won't be there. I won't be there. So you're going to have to educate your new mayor about this issue. You're going to have to educate your new councilman from the 7th district about this issue. And you're going to have to educate and re-educate those folks that are there. I don't think you're going to have to educate our city manager. Tom Higgins is a great guy and he's got a huge heart. And he knows how important this issue is, Jay. He knows how important this is. And so do you. So we have a challenge. And I say we because I'll be right at your side. Not going to be in front of you. Not going to be behind you. Be right at your side. Directions home is working. We are reducing chronic homelessness in our city. All of our partners are working together. And if we're ever going to get this job done, whether it's in 10 years or preferably less, then we're going to have to keep pulling those oars in the same direction. I want to introduce a fellow to you right now real quickly. His name is Mark Hill. Might have heard of him. He's well known in the corporate world. And until not too long ago, I didn't realize his and his wife's passion about the issue of homelessness. I had no idea because prior to that, basically our negotiations were all about corporate issues and contracts and boring stuff like that. Instead of people issues, people issues. He understands that there is no cookie cutter mechanism for homelessness that every single person who is homeless is in that position because of bad choices, bad circumstances, things beyond their control, some things they could have controlled. But they're not there by choice, are they? Are any, any homeless individuals that you know or any that are here today, are you homeless because you want to be? Those who are raise your hand. Trick question. Trick question. And that's, and that's something that, that's something Mark understands. He also understands that not every program that we have fits perfectly into a given government grant. He understands that IDs and things that are, are products that will identify someone and give them a presence are more important than hot dogs and blankets. I'm not saying hot dogs and blankets aren't important. If you're hungry and you're cold, damn right, hot dog feels pretty good in your stomach, so does that blanket. But, but hot dogs and blankets will only take you so far, won't they? What you as those who are identified as individuals who are part of the Fort Worth family without a home need to know is that you too have a responsibility. You've got to help us. You've got to help all of these partners to help you. And the way you do that is by being honest. And I ask you to speak up. Don't stay silent. Speak up. Tell us what those needs are. Tell us what we're not doing right. Tell us what we are doing right. Tell us what you need more of. Tell us what you need less of. Let your team help you. Because they will. They will. Those of us who are on that team, all of these partners, I think we need to also realize that we need to help you to reach your dream, your goal, and make sure that it's not our goal. I need to repeat that. Pretty simple math. And sometimes we get those intermingled, not intentionally, but we get so focused on our goal, we what? We forget about yours. I could not be any prouder as mayor of this great city, of anything that we have done together than directions home. We started a journey together. A journey begins with what? That first step. We took it together. Carter, we took it as a team. The city is a proud, proud partner, along with everyone else, and that journey can't stop just because conditions change, just because I'm not your mayor anymore. This is far more important than who is mayor of this city. This is far more important for us to finish what we started, for us to raise the bar for other cities. And let me tell you something. We have. We have. I'm looking at an example right now. And there's a story with every face in this room. To those partners who have been out here doing the Lord's work for a long, long time, I say, thank you. To those who feel we have made progress, don't rest on your laurels. Don't look back. None of us, like Andrew Jackson says. I think it was Andrew Jackson, Mark. Maybe I'm wrong. You're probably pretty good at quotes, but I think it was him. He said, don't look back. We ain't going that way. And we're not Fort Worth. We're moving forward. We're going to continue this journey together. I started out to introduce Mark Hill. I'm going to ask him to stand up. Mark, stand up. The mock of what it used to be called, the mayor's advisory committee on homelessness. Well, that's no longer what it's called. It is the city advisory committee on homelessness. There's a message there and a very positive message. If you listen, I asked Mark once I found out about his passion, and he came to me. He said, is there anything I can do to help on the issue of homelessness? I said, oh, yes, there is. Have I got a job for you? And so as one who cares, as one who is passionate, he steps up to that plate to work with all of you, to work with our current partners, to basically, in so many words, continue to do the Lord's work. That's what we're talking about. And I have no doubt that this faith journey will continue. The doors will continue to open. Our next challenge is to get that resource center. And one way or the other, we're going to skin that cat. We've got some great partners at the table. The county is there. The hospital district is there. We're going to get that done because it needs to happen. The current facility, I know you're trying. I know you're making the best with what you've got to work with, but we can do better. And it's going to take all of us to get there. That'll be just one of the many challenges you have, Mark. But I look forward to working with you in that regard. Mark is more than just the new chairman of the commission. He's also a good personal friend. And that's as important to me as anything, knowing that I entrust something that is so dear to me and so dear to all of you that it works so long and so hard to someone who is a friend. He's a friend of mine, and I'm sure you will all come to find he will be a friend of yours. Otis is our energizer bunny. He continues to maintain a focus. He understands the challenges we face. He understands how all of these parts of this puzzle have to fit together to make it work. For all of the times that we have met, the good and the bad, whether it was a 911 call and those were often, or whether it was I can't wait to share the news and hand you the 200th key, the 200th key of folks who were getting their own apartment. It has been a journey that I will always treasure and a friendship that I will always value. I'm not going to get emotional. Did that when I announced I wasn't going to run anymore. But what I am going to tell you is Rosie and I do care deeply about this issue. And we are not going anywhere. I might not be at City Hall, but I'm going to be here in town. And I'm going to continue to be involved and work with Mark, work with all of you to continue to reduce that number on our streets. And folks, that is the testament. It's working. I don't know what other cities are doing. I don't know how well we did in the county. I don't know anything but what I have seen. And even if we didn't reduce our number and we stayed flat in the last evaluation, that too would be a win given the fact that we've just come off a recession and the other populations around the large cities are going up because of that recession. So I don't know what those numbers are. I know there were a lot of folks out that were involved in the count. For those that were involved, I certainly thank them. But I want to thank all of you individually, collectively, for believing in us, for believing in yourselves, for believing there is a brighter day ahead, for believing that there is a light at the end of that tunnel that is not an oncoming train. Because if you didn't believe that, we'd be walking in circles, wouldn't we? We realized doing the same old thing was going to do nothing but get the same old results. And we changed that direction. We need to stay the course. We need to finish what we started. We need to do it together with your help and with his. And with his, we'll arrive at our destination. Thank you. God bless you.