We all need a safe place to live. But homelessness and poverty are growing. Instead of funding what works, too many politicians are making these problems worse by passing laws that allow the police to ticket and arrest people who cannot afford housing or the substance use or mental health care they need.
We need leaders who focus on real solutions that help people, like housing and healthcare. Ticketing or fining people for sleeping outdoors when they have no where else to go moves our communities backwards – creating barriers to housing instead of enacting proactive and proven programs that provide housing and services.
We have the solutions!
Click to join our webinar series examining each of the 10 Points.
In place of criminalizing daily survival activities, we offer this 10-Point framework for state and local communities to respond with compassion and proven solutions.
- Affordable and Accessible Housing
- Homelessness Prevention
- Decriminalization of Poverty
- Shelter Standards and Expanded Shelter Options
- Employment Programs
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Treatment on Demand
- Encampment Infrastructure
- Friendly Architecture
- Equity in Impact
The NCH 10-Point Model Homeless Legislation template is designed to complement NCH’s national Bring America Home Now! Campaign, which consists of six policy pillars at the national level and is a grassroots movement to end and prevent homelessness:
- Housing justice: housing is a basic human right
- Universal access to health care
- Livable wages and basic income
- Education and training
- Protecting civil and voting rights
- Recognizing homelessness as a racial justice and equity issue
NCH strongly believes that as localities and states consider the components of this template, it is imperative that people with lived experience of homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance use issues are integral to the decision-making process, program design, and policy and program implementation.
