Housing NOW! 2020

A National Call to Action to End Homelessness

Thirty years ago, 250,000 people marched on Washington as part of the HousingNOW! March for Affordable Housing to demand action to address the growing homelessness and affordable housing crisis at that time. This led to the passage of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act in 1990, which created among other things the HOME program. HousingNOW! followed the successful organizing and mobilization led by activists in DC and across the nation that resulted in the passage of the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in 1987.

The Problem

Unfortunately, the promises resulting from the activism of the 1980’s were not adequately sustained, and federal investments in homelessness, affordable housing and other initiatives to address the causes of homelessness have failed to keep pace with increasing homelessness in communities throughout our nation. Due to inadequate federal funding and budget cuts, HUD policy has moved from a focus on ending homelessness to one that manages and rations limited resources through initiatives such as:

• Phasing out Federal funding for Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing
• Time-limited Rapid Re-housing that often leads to eviction and new homelessness
• A focus on one-size fits all solutions that deny flexibility to address local needs
• Prioritization policies that pit individuals vs. families, youth vs. veterans, and leave too many without access to housing and services
• Limited eligibility criteria that results in too many families and individuals without housing

The Solutions

To truly end homelessness we need to re-energize and organize a movement to demand a significant increase in federal funding that keeps pace with rising local need. We need a national HUMAN RIGHT TO HOUSING! We need to Re-Build the Movement to End Homelessness NOW! This will only happen with renewed organizing and mobilization to demand that Congress and presidential candidates:

• Immediately restore Federal funding to pre-1980 funding levels – prior to the advent of the current mass homelessness crisis
• At least double the funding for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance immediately
• Increase funding for community-based residential treatment for mental health and addictions
• Expand eligibility for assistance so that doubled-up families, non-“chronically homeless” individuals and those at risk of homeless have access to needed housing and services

What You Can Do

Join the HousingNOW! 2020 National Call to Action Campaign today.

• Sign up to obtain ongoing information and provide input to the HousingNOW! 2020 Campaign.
• Apply for your organization to become a Member of NCH today – the introductory rate is just $20.20! 
• Reach out to people experiencing homelessness, local organizations, faith communities, cities and others to urge them to join in the HousingNOW! 2020 Campaign.
• Participate in the HousingNOW! 2020 organizing webinar series scheduled this fall.
• Join us for the HousingNOW! 2020 Summit planned for April 2020 in Washington DC.

#HousingNOW2020

Coordinated by the National Coalition for the Homeless in collaboration with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Low Income Housing Coalition, Sacramento Coalition to End Homelessness, and a growing list of other partners.