Kenia Mazariegos - National Coalition for the Homeless

Washington, DC— In an urgent effort to tackle the escalating issue of homelessness and promote affordable housing, Rep. Maxine Waters unveiled a comprehensive package of three bills on Wednesday. The proposed legislation aims to bridge the racial wealth gap while providing critical support to individuals and families struggling to secure stable housing.

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) fully supports Rep. Waters and her comprehensive package of three bills to combat homelessness and expand affordable housing across the nation.

“We are so grateful to Congresswoman Waters for her unwavering commitment to ending homelessness in America,” says Donald Whitehead, the Executive Director of NCH.

In 2021, NCH’s Bring America Home Now (BAHN) campaign, in conjunction with Daily Kos, launched a petition to support the Ending Homeless Act of 2021-2022. This critical legislation seeks to implement effective strategies to combat homelessness and provide support to those in need. The petition has resonated with concerned individuals across the country, gathering an impressive 32,003 supporters to date. This groundswell of support highlights the pressing need for action and underscores the shared determination to address homelessness as a national priority.

Whitehead expresses his complete endorsement of the bill and recognizes the crucial recognition of the pressing requirement for housing development in our nation. He believes that the Ending Homelessness Bill represents a significant stride toward establishing “Housing as a Human Right.”

At the heart of the proposed legislation is a request for $100 billion in direct assistance to first-time home buyers. This significant investment would empower individuals and families to access affordable housing options and take their first steps toward building wealth. Additionally, the package calls for more than $150 billion to be allocated to fair and affordable housing investments. This infusion of funds would support crucial initiatives such as repairs and improvements to existing public housing, tenant-based rental assistance, and project-based rental assistance contracts to aid low-income renters.

NCH commends Representative Waters for her unwavering commitment to tackling homelessness head-on and providing viable solutions for those in need.

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NCH is a network of individuals and organizations united by a commitment to end homelessness. The organization has helped draft federal, state, and local legislation, like the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. NCH has long advocated for addressing the root causes of homelessness, including the lack of affordable housing, through policy advocacy (supporting efforts like the Bringing America Home Act), grassroots organizing (building a national movement led by unsheltered individuals), and public education (dispelling negative stereotypes and preserving civil rights of people experiencing homelessness).

To learn more about the campaign, visit the website at nationalhomeless.org/bring-amerca-home-now

Washington, DC– The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) is proud to continue the Local Power Tour, a nationwide campaign aimed at shifting the national narrative on homelessness in America to further embrace a “human right to housing” approach. NCH advocates toured the West Coast earlier this year, with stops in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle.

“Never before have we seen so many of our neighbors forced to live outdoors without housing, or the level of criminalization of daily survival activities,” says Donald Whitehead, Jr., Executive Director of NCH. “The Local Power Tour is a groundbreaking campaign that will bring attention to the plight of the homeless and empower communities to demand change.”

As part of its efforts to end homelessness, NCH organizers are visiting advocates and people experiencing homelessness in Miami, Florida, this week. NCH is partnering with the Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity to bring attention to the criminalization of people forced into homelessness and all that the Miami community is doing to address ongoing lack of affordable housing. “Homelessness is a result of the government failing the people,” states David Peery (MCARE Founder).

“This tour is born of the belief that any lasting national change must be rooted in local action and led by those with lived experience,” states Ramina Davidson, Director of Community Organizing for NCH. “Specifically, we are working with local partners to build a national movement to end homelessness by demanding change from elected officials, encouraging compassionate, solution-oriented discussions, and denouncing the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness.”

NCH invites everyone to join the movement and be part of the solution. To learn more about the campaign, visit the NCH website at nationalhomeless.org/local-power-tour.

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Click Here to download the press release.

Press Contact:

Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of NCH | Dwhitehead@nationalhomeless.org

Date: May 8, 2023

The National Coalition for the Homeless denounces the violence perpetrated against Jordan Neely. In death, Mr. Neely has brought to our collective consciousness acknowledgment of how broken our economy is, and how damaging criminalization of poverty and homelessness can be.

After shouting that he was hungry and thirsty, Jordan Neely, a young unhoused man, was restrained by a U.S. Marine on a Manhattan subway train. He died of compression of the neck during the altercation. Neely, who was a Michael Jackson impersonator, suffered from mental illness following the death of his mother according to news outlets. Neely did not deserve such a brutal death.

Mr. Neely’s story highlights the failures of our systems to respond to, and provide for, basic human needs. From foster care to health care and housing, system after system failed to provide the support Neely needed.

For those who have not been forced into homelessness, you would be amazed at how quickly you lose your humanity. It can be incredibly hard to find compassion from the places you would most expect it – family and friends or social services and government agencies that are supposed to help.

Taking this a step further, NY City officials, and communities across the country respond to the need for housing with disdain, and often law enforcement.

“The killing of Jordan Neely is the direct result of the dehumanization of people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues,” states Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition. “Criminalization policies that turn the general public into street level judges, jury, and executioner have tragic consequences.”

“Jordan Neely’s heart should still be beating. Systemic oppression and the humanitarian crisis of poverty and homelessness continues to unjustly unleash trauma and violence, taking precious lives each day. As we mourn the loss of Jordan Neely, let us commit and recommit ourselves ourselves to dismantling racism, classism, ableism, sexism, heterosexism, and other deeply embedded isms. We must awaken empathy, organize, mobilize, and genuinely advance housing justice, racial justice, and intersectional equity,” urges Dr. Shankar-Brown.

Black Lives Matter. None of us are home until all of us are home.

Click Here to download the press release.

Press Contact:

Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of NCH | Dwhitehead@nationalhomeless.org

A nationwide effort to amplify the voices of grassroots organizations working to end homelessness.

Date: March 30th, 2023

Washington, DC– The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) is proud to announce the launch of the Local Power Tour, a six month nationwide campaign aimed at ending the criminalization of homelessness. The tour seeks to hold elected officials accountable for policies that punish individuals experiencing homelessness and empower advocates and activists working at the local level to affect change.

As part of its efforts to end homelessness, NCH will visit cities where homelessness is a critical issue, as well as cities where communities are already taking steps to address the crisis. By building momentum for a nationwide movement to end homelessness and demanding change from elected officials who create laws that criminalize the homeless, NCH hopes to bring about meaningful change.

“This tour is born of the belief that any lasting national change must be rooted in local action and led by those with lived experience,” states Ramina Davidson, Director of Community Organizing for NCH. Specifically, NCH will be working to encourage compassionate, solution-oriented discussions in local communities that run counter to efforts like encampment raids or ordinances that criminalize people for living without housing.

NCH invites everyone to join the movement and be part of the solution. To learn more about the campaign, visit the NCH website at nationalhomeless.org/local-power-tour.

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Click Here to download the press release.

Press Contact:

Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of NCH | Dwhitehead@nationalhomeless.org