Register for a webinar series exploring each one of the points in the 10 Point Plan to End Homelessness – highlighting solutions to homelessness that can be enacted at the local or state level today! Read more about the report here.
10 Point Plan Webinar Series
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.
Hunter Scott is a student at American University and was an intern at NCH this past spring. Since his time working in NCH’s office, he has remained involved with the Coalition and the battle to end homelessness. Read Hunter’s unique perspective on why Membership Matters to young people:
I’ve had a passion for working for the homeless since I was an intern at San Francisco’s Project Homeless Connect, where I often used publications and tools provided by NCH to do the work of the organization. Many young people place importance on volunteering with direct service providers, hoping to help the homeless in a face to face capacity. After taking this attitude myself, I decided to get a different experience by interning at NCH during my sophomore year in college. While there, I worked on NCH’s social networking presence, measuring its impact as an effective advocate for the homeless online. During my internship, I learned how working in advocacy organizations, especially national advocacy organizations like NCH, provides the tools needed to create the broad social change that I hoped for after volunteering in direct service capacities. After I finished my internship, I took a grant writing and non-profit management class. I decided to partner with NCH for my projects to support its advocacy work. Today, I continue to support NCH because they provide the needed national progressive voice on all matters relating to homelessness, and will lead the way in bringing the homeless in this country home.
As our Executive Director Neil Donovan said in a “Traveling with Neil” video recently, homelessness cannot be solved by targeting sub-populations. However, they may provide volunteers, spectators, and politicians with a multidimensional view or homelessness beyond what stigmas or preconceived notions exist.
All sub-populations of people who become homeless experience the same needs: affordable housing, living wages, and proper protection of their civil rights. This goes for homeless youth, especially. According to the National Center on Family Homelessness’ 2011 Report “America’s Youngest Outcasts,” the population of homeless children has increased by over a third since 2007, with the hardest hit areas being the rural South and California.
It’s no question that families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, especially since the recession. Along with family and all other growing kinds of homelessness, where does “youth” fit in?
Many educational statutes define a ‘child’ as being under the age of 18. Many children become homeless with their families. But another large group of under-18-year-olds find themselves homeless and with no family support.
Luckily there are many shelters and safe housing programs that do great work to ameliorate homelessness, although many define “youth” differently. Many youth shelters across the country, such as Aarti Hotel and El Rescate, can only hold youth until 24. The Homeless Youth Coalition classifies youth to a lesser range of 18-23 years old. First Steps for Youth helps an even small youth range: 16-18 years old, including minors.
Still, after the age of 18, legal adulthood, a homeless person is still homeless. So where does youth end? Better yet, when does youth homelessness end?
I think those are the wrong questions. The right question is where does homelessness end? For a 17 year old, we can combat homelessness by keeping them in school, giving them the resources to learning trade, helping them find and keep a job that pays a living wage, and making housing—both urban and rural—affordable. These are the same things that contributed to the 12% drop in homeless veterans last year. Why? Because they are proven to work for everybody.
Homelessness has many faces, and the youth of America are unfortunately among them. The good news is no new plans need to be drawn up specifically for the youth. We can still bring America home with housing justice, economic justice, and health care justice –by fulfilling the NCH mission statement:
To prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected.
-Jose Morales, NCH Spring 2012 Intern
