Program:
Public Education
- Budget:
-
$360,000
- Category:
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Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
- Population Served:
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
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Homeless
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General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
NCH has long worked to educate the public about the causes of, and solutions to homelessness. Through publishing factsheets and timely reports on emerging issues facing the homeless community, NCH has become a trusted source for information for national media sources including the New York Times, NPR and advocates and governments nationwide.
A key component of NCH’s Public Education Department is the Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau. Through each Speakers’ Bureau presentation, audiences becomes sensitized to the issues surrounding homelessness from the “real experts.” People who are homeless or formerly homeless share their stories of the realities of homelessness. The presentation offers the audience first hand knowledge of the injustices of not having a home in America. It breaks down stereotypes of who is homeless and what it means to be homeless and most importantly, the Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau continues to inspire audience members to become involved in the fight to end homelessness at it is known today. In 2009 the Speakers’ Bureau gave 390 presentations, speaking to over 20,500 people from over 40 states, traveling to 13 states.
The Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau has seen great successes since its inception in 1996, including encouraging greater civic involvement of audience members, as well as empowering a strong group of homeless and formerly homeless advocates. NCH’s Speakers’ Bureau continues to grow nationally, through a generous grant from the Corporation for National Community Service and Americorps*VISTA program. Since the grant’s start date in 2006, NCH has placed 22 VISTA members and Speakers’ Bureaus across the state of Florida, 8 VISTAs in Georgia and 3 across South Carolina. The Florida VISTAs have already given over 500 presentations statewide, to a combined audience of over 20,000 people, empowering the voices of over 100 speakers. Additionally, during the summer of 2009, the project was awarded 14 Summer VISTA members, who worked in established sites across Florida to assist current VISTA members with speaking engagements, as well as administering a statewide hate crimes survey of people experiencing homelessness.
Program Long-Term Success:
The long term goal of NCH's public education efforts are to reach a critical mass of Americans in order to organize them into taking action on both a local and national level to end homelessness.
Program Short-Term Success:
Short term program goals for our Public Education efforts include continuing to reach a greater number and more diverse audiences with our Speakers' Bureau and reporting. We also plan to spread our national Speakers' Bureau program from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to a total of 10 states.
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Grassroots Community Organizing
- Budget:
-
$130,000
- Category:
-
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
- Population Served:
-
Homeless
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
NCH takes as its first principle of practice that persons who are or have been homeless must be actively involved in the resolution of homelessness. Our organizing works centers around training homeless self-advocates, as well as working to preserve and protect the civil rights of people experiencing homelessness.
NCH's recently created Homelessness in the First Person project works to optimize self-sufficiency among families and individuals experiencing homelessness. This program placed homeless speakers on expert panels that were held by the White House office on homelessness (USICH) to help develop and plan for a federal plan to end homelessness. NCH speakers are already being placed on decision-making boards and having their stories heard by national policy-makers.
The second key component of NCH's community organizing work is the National Civil Rights Organizing Project. The civil rights of people experiencing homelessness are continually violated, whether it be by hate crimes/violence committed against them, or by unjust laws making it illegal to be homeless. NCH has been working with advocates, police departments, policy-makers and homeless people nationwide to track civil rights abuses and create effective strategies for ending these abuses.
Every year since 1999, NCH has published a report on hate crimes committed against the homeless and every two years, a report on the criminalization of homelessness. Additionally, NCH releases timely reports on related issues such as tent cities, foreclosures and food sharing restrictions. These reports have been followed by national media sources and have led to action on the state and federal levels. Several states have passed hate crimes or vulnerable population statutes that include homeless persons, and legislation is currently being considered by the US Senate.
The Civil Rights Organizing Project also works to involve people experiencing homelessness and poverty in the political process. Through the "You Don't Need a Home to Vote" program, NCH has registered thousands of homeless people to vote nationwide, as well as advocated for inclusion of homeless persons in all state voter registration laws. Through election-year bi-annual events, NCH organizes get out the vote drives and voter education campaigns nationwide.
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Program:
Policy Advocacy
- Budget:
-
$60,000
- Category:
-
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
- Population Served:
-
Homeless
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
NCH has remained the substantive voice in the federal legislative process for people who are experiencing homelessness. In out policy advocacy, we work diligently to ensure that mainstream resources and opportunities are available to families and individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Specific goals include: housing that is affordable to the lowest income Americans, comprehensive and accessible health care and other support services, livable incomes and civil rights protections.
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