National Coalition for the Homeless

Who We Are

The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission. That mission, our common bond, is to end homelessness. We are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. At the same time, we work to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. We take as our first principle of practice that people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of our work. Toward this end, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) engages in public education, policy advocacy, and grassroots organizing. We focus our work in the following 4 areas: housing justice, economic justice, health care justice, and civil rights.

Our History

The roots of NCH begin in 1981 when the founder, Robert Hayes, filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man experiencing homelessness in New York City. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and people experiencing homelessness won the right to shelter in New York City. The Coalition for the Homeless in New York City formed as one of the early community-based coalitions. With the development of other local and statewide homeless coalitions, the National Coalition for the Homeless was formed in 1982 and incorporated in 1984, and was recognized as a tax-exempt, not for profit organization under the 501(c) (3) internal revenue code in 1988.

Our Board

NCH's 32-member board is diverse ethnically and geographically. Members include service providers, academics, and organizers; at least one quarter of the board are homeless/formerly homeless men and women; all are advocates.
See the current list of Board members here.

Our Staff
NCH staff are hard working and passionate advocates for the homeless community. Meet our current staff members here.

Finances
The majority of funding for NCH programs comes from the support of
individuals, foundations and member organizations. NCH has been designated
a Four-Star Charity by Charity Navigator, the organization's most recent IRS
form 990 and 3rd Party charity reports can be found on CharityNavigator.org,
or Guidestar.org, by searching for the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Full audited information is available upon request.

NCH is a 501 (c)(3) designated non-profit organization. Contributions to NCH
are tax exempt to the fullest extent allowed by law. Federal Tax ID#
52-1517415. CFC number 10844.

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Job Announcements: Read about jobs and internships at NCH.