NCH ReleasesNew Landmark Report on Racial Equity Progress in U.S. Homelessness Response Systems

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) today announced the release of its latest research report, “Homelessness and Racial Equity in the United States: Assessing Post-2018 Progress.” The report provides a comprehensive look at how 31 major U.S. communities have worked to dismantle racial disparities in homelessness since 2018, highlighting critical progress while warning of new risks to federal equity initiatives.

Since 2018, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) elevated racial equity as a federal priority, communities nationwide have faced increased pressure to address the fact that people of color—particularly Black and Native American individuals—remain disproportionately represented among the homeless population.

“This report is about preserving institutional memory and documenting the concrete steps communities are taking to move toward more equitable outcomes,” said Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of NCH. “In a climate of shifting federal policy, it is essential to show that racial equity work is not a political ideology; it is an evidence-based response to documented disparities.”

Key Findings of the Report:

The NCH research team identified several major themes in the progress made by cities and Continuums of Care (CoCs) across the country:

  • Data-Driven Action: The majority of surveyed communities have moved toward disaggregating homelessness data by race and ethnicity, with many launching real-time dashboards to track equity goals.
  • Systemic Reform: Communities are increasingly abandoning tools like the VI-SPDAT, which may perpetuate racial bias, in favor of redesigned Coordinated Entry systems that account for racialized risk.
  • Institutionalizing Equity: The creation of dedicated Racial Equity Committees and multi-system collaborations (including health, criminal justice, and education) has become a standard for guiding long-term strategy.
  • Targeted Funding: Leading jurisdictions are now incorporating equity criteria into their funding competitions and intentionally investing in culturally specific, Black-led organizations.

Urgent Recommendations:

Despite these strides, the report emphasizes that much work remains. The NCH outlines several calls to action for local leaders and policymakers:

  1. Broaden Data Scope: Include “doubled up” populations (those staying with others) to capture a more accurate picture of housing instability among Latino, youth, and LGBTQ+ communities.
  2. Upstream Intervention: Partner with eviction prevention and healthcare systems to stop the pipeline into homelessness before it begins. Prevention programs are essential to a well-functioning homeless service system.
  3. Sustainable Housing: Prioritize zoning reforms and community land trusts in neighborhoods historically impacted by displacement.
  4. Protect Rights: Advocate for robust source-of-income discrimination protections and fair chance housing policies.

A Call to Local Leadership

With current federal-level rhetoric creating uncertainty for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the NCH report concludes that local leadership is more vital than ever. The document serves as a roadmap for Continuums of Care and municipal governments to maintain their commitment to marginalized communities regardless of the national political environment.

“We cannot effectively address homelessness without confronting the racial inequities that drive it,” the report concludes. “The momentum documented here represents real progress that must not be abandoned.”

For more information or to request a full copy of the report, please contact the National Coalition for the Homeless.

About the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH):

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: to prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected.

At the dawn of Black History Month, we are confronting a dangerous reality: hard-won rights secured during the Civil Rights Movement are being systematically eroded in plain sight.

The attack on voting rights has intensified across the country—through voter suppression laws, gerrymandering, purges of voter rolls, and efforts to criminalize civic participation. These assaults are not accidental. They are deliberate strategies designed to silence Black voters and communities of color whose political power has grown over the last generation.

At the same time, the targeting of immigrants—particularly asylum seekers—has escalated with alarming speed. Elected officials, journalists, judges, and advocates of color are increasingly subjected to harassment, intimidation, and threats simply for doing their jobs or speaking the truth. These attacks are meant to send a message: visibility will be punished, dissent will be crushed, and justice will be delayed through fear.

The rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives alongside the dismantling of affirmative action represents another front in this coordinated effort. Under the guise of “neutrality” and “fairness,” policies designed to address centuries of exclusion are being stripped away. The result is not fair, it is a return to structural inequality, reinforced by fear and silence.

History teaches us that progress is never permanent.

Every right we celebrate this month—voting access, fair housing protections, equal employment opportunity, the right to protest—was won through sustained resistance, not passive remembrance. Those victories were not gifted by benevolence; they were demanded by people who refused to accept injustice as inevitable.

We cannot afford complacency.

Now is not the time for silence.
Now is not the time for timidity.
Now is not the time to confuse civility with justice.

The forces seeking to roll back civil rights are counting on exhaustion, fragmentation, and fear. They are betting that we will grow tired, retreat inward, or convince ourselves that someone else will carry the burden of resistance.

But Black History Month reminds us of a different legacy.

It reminds us that ordinary people, students, faith leaders, workers, mothers, and elders changed the course of this nation by refusing to stand down. They organized it when it was dangerous. They spoke when it was costly. They marched when the law told them not to.

In Minnesota, communities have shown remarkable determination in standing up to the harsh tactics of ICE, refusing to allow fear and intimidation to undermine their resolve. Local organizers, faith groups, and neighbors have mobilized in support of immigrants facing detention and deportation, demonstrating solidarity through legal aid, rapid response networks, and public advocacy. Their commitment sends a powerful message: the pursuit of justice will not be halted by threats or raids, and Minnesotans will continue to defend the rights and dignity of every resident, regardless of immigration status.

The work before us is not new, but it is urgent.

Defending voting rights.
Protecting immigrants and asylum seekers.
Advancing racial and economic justice.
Resisting the criminalization of poverty and protest.

These struggles are inseparable, and they demand our full participation.

Black History Month is not a pause for reflection alone—it is a recommitment. A reminder that justice is not self-executing and freedom is not self-sustaining.

The fight continues because it must.
And history is watching what we do next.

Written by Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless

This tradition is rooted in remembrance and in the commitment to lasting change.

On December 18th, we invite you to join us from wherever you are for a livestream of this year’s Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day ceremony. This annual day of remembrance brings communities together to honor the lives of people who died while experiencing homelessness over the past year. Register here to attend the virtual ceremony.

Memorial Event Livestream
Date: Thursday, December 18th, 2025
Time: 11 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. MST / 1 p.m. CST / 2 p.m. EST

A full list of speakers for the event will be shared during the livestream.

The National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, and the National Consumer Advisory Board encourage communities across the country to mark Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day on or around the winter solstice, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. This tradition is rooted in remembrance and in the commitment to lasting change. As night stretches across the nation, we pause to honor neighbors, friends, and loved ones who lost their lives without the basic security of a home.

Each year, this ceremony serves as a moment to acknowledge the injustice of lives cut short, to reaffirm our shared responsibility to protect the dignity of every person, and to renew our dedication to a future where housing is guaranteed to all. Communities across the country join in this observance to make clear that no one should die for lack of housing. You can learn more about the significance of this day through our HPMD Advocacy Agenda.

If you would like to host a local event, there are many ways communities take part, including candlelight gatherings, readings of names, spiritual services, marches, and public education efforts. Resources for planning an event, last year’s national livestream, and information on local activities and mortality data are available here.

If you wish to honor someone who has died while experiencing homelessness in your community, you may submit their name for inclusion in our “in memoriam” video during the livestream ceremony. You can share a name by clicking here.

As the longest night of the year approaches, we hope you will join us in remembrance and reflection. Together, we carry forward the work of ensuring that no life is lived or lost without the dignity of a safe and stable home.

Homelessness ends when we all have safe, affordable and accessible housing.

But our communities are facing unprecedented challenges to our collective safety and efforts to house all of our neighbors.

This page serves as a resource for those fighting back against occupation in Washington, DC, as well as other communities that have been experiencing militarization and abductions of immigrants, people of color, and people who are unhoused.

 

NCH’s statement on Executive Orders

More Background:

Taking Action:

DC Info and Resources:

Cities Nationwide – Know-Your-Rights and other Info

“You can’t arrest yourself out of homelessness,” Donald Whitehead ED @NCH

On CNN, National Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Donald Whitehead delivers an urgent message about the White House’s escalating threats to people experiencing homelessness and the troubling ripple effects now being felt in our nation’s capital.

In this powerful interview, Donald exposes the harmful policies that jeopardize the safety, dignity, and basic human rights of our unhoused neighbors. He calls out both the recent cuts to HUD programs, critical lifelines that fund housing and services, and the growing push, seen in DC’s new ordinance, to forcibly clear encampments and funnel people into institutions against their will.

This is not just a political issue. It is a fight for human lives. The choices made will determine whether we build a society rooted in compassion or one that criminalizes poverty. Watch the video now and share it widely. Our voices matter, and together we can demand housing, dignity, and justice for all.

Oppose Cuts to Housing and Homelessness Programs in Trump’s FY2026 Budget

The National Coalition for the Homeless strongly opposes President Donald J. Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Presidential budgets reflect an administration’s core principles and priorities. President Donald J. Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget signals a troubling lack of concern for vulnerable populations, including children, elderly veterans, and marginalized communities. Rather than upholding a vision of equity and care, the proposal suggests a retreat from programs that provide critical support to those most in need.

[ TAKE ACTION: SEND A LETTER TO CONGRESS ]

Budgets are more than just financial documents; they are moral and political statements that reveal an administration’s priorities, values, and ambitions. When a president releases a budget proposal, it is not merely a matter of accounting—it is a roadmap that outlines the administration’s vision for the nation, underscoring the programs it seeks to fund, the initiatives it aims to curtail, and the populations it intends to support or deprioritize. Analyzing these budgets is critical in understanding the immediate fiscal realities and the long-term implications on society.

A presidential budget is rarely enacted in its original form. Rather, it serves as a starting point for negotiations among Congress, advocacy groups, and the public. The budget debate often becomes a reflection of broader ideological divisions, with each side using funding priorities to advance its vision for the country.

Donald Whitehead, the Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, asserts that the President’s budget blatantly disregards marginalized communities. “Last year, we witnessed the highest number of individuals experiencing homelessness, and the administration proposes to abandon effective, evidence-based strategies in favor of approaches that will precipitate a catastrophic surge in homelessness. If implemented in its current form, this budget has the potential to cause preventable deaths.”

President Trump’s proposal includes a $26.72 billion cut to HUD’s rental assistance programs—including Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities—by consolidating them into a single State Rental Assistance Block Grant. This restructuring would amount to an unprecedented 43% reduction in rental assistance and impose a two-year time limit on rental aid for “able-bodied adults.” States would be “encouraged to provide funding to share in the responsibility to ensure that similar levels of recipients can benefit from the block grant.”

The budget also proposes a $532 million cut to Homelessness Assistance Grants (HAG), and the elimination of both the Continuum of Care (CoC) program and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. These would be folded into the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program. In addition, the Permanent Supportive Housing and VASH programs would be discontinued.

[ TAKE ACTION: SEND A LETTER TO CONGRESS ]

The proposal calls for the elimination of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships programs. It would also eliminate the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive and Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant programs, cutting $479 million and consolidating these into the formula-based IHBG program. The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program would be discontinued as well, with the justification that “such programs are duplicative in purpose and would be better left to state and local governments.”

Further, the budget would reduce funding for HUD’s Healthy Homes and Lead Hazards programs by $296 million, citing existing unobligated balances. It would eliminate the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program, which incentivizes inclusive local zoning practices, and the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), which supports the investigation and adjudication of housing discrimination complaints. The proposal would maintain support for the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), which funds state and local agencies tasked with enforcing the Fair Housing Act.

Take Action: Protect and Expand HUD’s Vital Affordable Housing and Homelessness Assistance Programs

  • Fully fund the renewal of all existing Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) contracts and 60,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs).
  • Increase funding for public housing operations and public housing capital needs.
  • Allocate $4.922 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program.
  • Provide $20 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program (EPGP).
  • Ensure at least $1.3 billion for HUD’s Tribal housing programs and $150 million in competitive funds targeted to tribes with the greatest needs.

[ TAKE ACTION: SEND A LETTER TO CONGRESS ]

Washington, D.C. — On April 22nd, thousands of advocates will mobilize in Washington, D.C., and in cities across the country as part of a powerful movement led by the National Coalition for the Homeless, in partnership with the National Homelessness Law Center, VOCAL-US, and a broad coalition of grassroots organizations, to demand Housing NOW!

Main Rally Details

Location: Capitol Reflecting Pool, Washington, DC (east side of pool, between the pool and the Capitol building)
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 22, 2025

As the list of confirmed rallies grows by the day, one truth becomes undeniable: America’s homelessness crisis persists not from lack of resources, but from lack of political will.

“Homelessness is not a crime, it’s a policy choice,” said Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. He urges elected officials to reject harmful budget cuts and stand against the mistreatment of the homeless.

Last year, the billionaire-backed Supreme Court ruled that it’s acceptable to ticket and arrest people who can’t afford a place to live. This year, federal budget cuts threaten to leave more people poor, homeless, and sick, while laws criminalizing homelessness mean more people will be arrested and institutionalized for trying to survive.

On April 22, join actions in D.C. and across the country to demand another way forward! Nobody should be homeless or without healthcare in a country as rich as ours!

A Collective Outcry:

YES to housing and healthcare. NO to budget cuts, fines, and jail. This national day of action will send a clear message: we will not tolerate policies that punish poverty while ignoring real solutions.

What’s Happening on April 22?

  • Rally at the U.S. Capitol: Advocates, impacted individuals, and allies will demand permanent housing, access to healthcare, and an end to the criminalization of homelessness.
  • National Solidarity Actions: Rallies, marches, and protests will take place in cities across the U.S., united in purpose.
  • Powerful Stories: Unhoused leaders and allies will share firsthand accounts of survival and proven solutions that work.

“Instead of solving this crisis, politicians are doubling down on cruelty: cutting vital services while criminalizing poverty. We need Housing NOW—not handcuffs, not jail, not more suffering,” said Donald Whitehead.

The National Coalition for the Homeless and its partners invite you to join us on April 22. Take action. Demand real solutions: Housing and Healthcare for ALL, Not Budget Cuts, Fines, and Jail.

Learn more about the Housing NOW! National Day of Action:

https://nationalhomeless.org/housing-now-national-day-of-action/

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS

The National Coalition for the Homeless advocates for increased public investment in affordable housing, services, and resources for housing stability. We create lasting systems change by developing leaders with lived experience who know how to permanently solve homelessness. We all want the same thing—a safe place to call home.

https://nationalhomeless.org/

(WASHINGTON, D.C – February 13th) The Executive Order issued by President Trump to dismantle homeless encampments in the District of Columbia reflects a deeply concerning disregard for the dignity and humanity of some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Disbanding these encampments while the region is experiencing harsh winter conditions, without a comprehensive plan for adequate housing and support services, is not a solution to homelessness but a cruel and inhumane approach that undermines the basic rights of individuals experiencing hardship. The shelter system in DC is currently at capacity; there is no place for people to move to.

Instead of addressing the root causes of homelessness—such as lack of affordable housing, mental health issues, and unemployment—this policy exacerbates the suffering of those affected by forcing them into even more precarious situations. The lack of viable alternatives further endangers their health, safety, and well-being. The shelter system was created by caring and concerned community members who frequently found individuals who had died during similar weather patterns.

We must remember that homelessness is not merely a statistic; it represents real people facing unimaginable challenges. Rather than disbanding encampments, we should be advocating for compassionate solutions that prioritize affordable housing production, jobs that pay livable wages, increased access to mental health resources, and community support services. It is our moral obligation to create a society that uplifts and respects every individual’s right to shelter, support, and safety.

Please call your congressional representative to tell the administration to find more innovative and compassionate, data-driven solutions.

Press Contact: Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless

Additional Responses to the Executive Orders:

NCH’s Stand Against the Federal Grants Freeze | Part II

It was so encouraging to witness the overwhelming support for programs and funding for people and organizations across this country when the administration’s executive order halted funding. People organized immediately—it was a testament to people coming together to fight against injustice.

While I am deeply moved by the outpouring of resistance,I am also hopeful that the same level of energy and resistance will continue as we launch our direct action campaign against criminalization. It is our belief that the criminalization actions we are witnessing across the country are direct violations of the Constitution of the United States.

Please keep your eyes open for information about our efforts to stand up for those who, in some cases, cannot stand up for themselves. If you are someone experiencing homelessness, we need you in this fight, and we look forward to partnering with you to ensure that everyone has a path toward housing justice that does not include a carceral approach.

In solidarity,
Donald Whitehead

“It demands unwavering commitment, concerted efforts, and the courage to challenge the status quo.”

As we reflected on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it was imperative to acknowledge the enduring significance of his legacy and the persistent struggle for racial justice and equality. The commemoration of this day served as a powerful reminder of the progress made and the challenges that remained. It was more important than ever to honor Dr. King’s vision by actively working towards a society where justice and equality are accessible to all.

Despite the progress achieved since Dr. King’s time, systemic racism and inequality have persisted in various forms. The recent resurgence of white supremacists highlighted the ongoing struggles faced by marginalized communities. Issues such as disproportionate representation in the unhoused population, criminalization of people experiencing homelessness, police brutality, economic disparities, unequal access to education, and healthcare inequities underscored the need for continued efforts towards racial justice.

As we honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and looked towards the future, it was crucial to recognize that the fight for racial justice and equality was far from over. It demanded unwavering commitment, concerted efforts, and the courage to challenge the status quo. By continuing to pursue Dr. King’s dream of a just and equitable society, we could create a world where every individual is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Recently, I witnessed an aura of hopelessness at a time when hope was required to change the trajectory of homelessness, which is at record levels. Housing justice remains the unfinished business of the civil rights movement. Although there was a feeling of despair for many after the election of Donald Trump, we could not waver in our pursuit of housing justice. We needed all of those who believed in housing justice to stand tall and work even harder until the dawn rises. We could not give up; we had to stand up in this moment of uncertainty in our country’s history.

The commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the inauguration of new political leaders served as reminders of our collective responsibility to advance the cause of racial justice. Let us continue striving to be the change-makers who turn dreams of equality into reality, ensuring a brighter and more just future for all.

Authored by: Donald Whitehead, NCH Executive Director of NCH