BREAKING: In a historically shameful decision, the Supreme Court has ruled in #JohnsonVGrantsPass that homeless people are not included in the Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment. This ruling will make homelessness drastically worse and impact the 250,000+ people who sleep outside each night, as well as millions of Americans who are just one missed paycheck away from homelessness. Arresting or fining people for trying to survive is expensive, counterproductive, cruel, and simply does not work. We are enraged but unsurprised that the Supreme Court sided with out-of-touch billionaires and against the poorest among us. #HousingNotHandcuffs To truly solve homelessness, we demand the Biden administration and Congress invest at least $356 billion in transforming approaches to homelessness away from criminalization and towards proven housing-based solutions. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/eFy7GFuu
National Homelessness Law Center
Non-profit Organization Management
Washington, DC 10,183 followers
The National Homelessness Law Center uses the power of the law to prevent and end homelessness in America.
About us
The National Homelessness Law Center is the only national organization dedicated solely to using the power of the law to end and prevent homelessness. Partnering with pro bono attorneys, the Law Center brings high impact litigation, leads and supports federal, state and local advocacy campaigns, and educates providers, advocates, and the public. Our work creates homes and communities for families, children, veterans, elderly and disabled people experiencing homelessness using surplus government property, improves access to housing for domestic violence survivors and their children, secures education rights for children experiencing homelessness, and protects human rights and dignity by striking down laws that prevent people experiencing homelessness from voting and that punish them for their homelessness.
- Website
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https://homelesslaw.org/
External link for National Homelessness Law Center
- Industry
- Non-profit Organization Management
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Washington, DC
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1989
Locations
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Primary
2000 M Street, NW
Ste 750-E
Washington, DC 20036, US
Employees at National Homelessness Law Center
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Maria Foscarinis
Founder, National Homelessness Law Center; Lecturer In Law, Columbia Law School
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Eric Tars
Senior Policy Director at National Homelessness Law Center
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Jennifer Toth Clary
Director of Development at the National Homelessness Law Center
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Jesse Rabinowitz
Campaign and Communication Director
Updates
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Thank you to PA State Senators Katie Muth and Nikil Saval, State Representative Ismail Smith-Wade-El, and their staff for organizing today's hearing, "Serving the Homeless in the Wake of the Grants Pass Ruling." In his testimony to the PA Joint Democratic Policy Committee, NHLC Senior Policy Director Eric Tars discussed the devastating aftermath of #JohnsonVGrantsPass and how the Law Center's template legislation can help cities fight back against the increasing criminalization of homelessness. Read the full testimony here below.
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UPDATE: The State Index on Youth Homelessness website will be down this week for maintenance but never fear – you can still access all of the state by state policy information and more with the links below. ▪ State by state policy information: https://lnkd.in/eTXd2W_3 ▪ State by state information about how to access legal help: https://lnkd.in/enYX8D8f If you need access to the data organized by policy rather than by state, please reach out to Katie Scott at [email protected].
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NOW AVAILABLE: Mental Health Legal Guide for Unhoused Youth & Young Adults: A national survey of state laws detailing access to mental health services. Thank you to our research partners at Alston & Bird! #YouthHomelessness #MentalHealth Access Here: https://loom.ly/RCoGnTw
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Registration is now LIVE for the 2024 Human Right to Housing Awards! Register to join us for a celebration of our 35 years of impact after what has been a historic year for the movement to end homelessness. This year’s event will honor changemakers from across the country who have made a significant impact on advancing the human right to housing. We thrilled to honor Blank Rome LLP as the 2024 Pro Bono Honoree! Register on our website (https://lnkd.in/gWtf4_tF) to join the celebrations.
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In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to criminalize homelessness, the crisis has only gotten worse. For people living outside in Grants Pass, the city at the center of the case, conditions are quickly deteriorating. #JohnsonVGrantsPass Helen Cruz, a Grants Pass resident and community advocate, shared: "Things here are not getting much better, but I'm still fighting the fight... [Encampment residents] still have to move, [there is] no water, one portable bathroom for over 90 people, there are locks on the gate..." MINT (Mobile Integrative Navigation Team) is a local nonprofit on the ground providing resources to the Grants Pass unhoused community. You can help support their work here: https://loom.ly/8z-UyoQ Photos by Helen Cruz.
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"She handed me trash bags and told me we had a day to leave the home we had spent a decade making our own. Uncertain of the future, I packed all my belongings in those bags..." - Dr. Ryan J. Smith, EdD #EndYouthHomelessness READ: https://loom.ly/TSbjGd8
COMMENTARY: Don’t criminalize homeless students
https://edsource.org
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"With little federal funding or political will to tackle the larger structural problems driving #homelessness, many officials have turned instead to #criminalization to make the problem—or rather, the people—simply go away." READ: https://loom.ly/S_RTp9s
Cities Rush to Criminalize Homelessness After Supreme Court Ruling
theappeal.org
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The National Homelessness Law Center is grateful to collaborate with the incredible team at Covington & Burling LLP. The firm’s decades-long support has helped the Law Center strengthen the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), reimagine New York Cities’ Right to Shelter, and most recently file an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the historic case The City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. We are grateful for the firm’s support of our annual Human Right to Housing Awards and for their membership on our Homelessness Action Legal Team. The National Homelessness Law Center could not do our work without Covington’s partnership, and we look forward to continuing to work together to ensure everyone has a safe place to sleep.
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TOMORROW: "What the Grants Pass Decision Means for People with Disabilities," a discussion with Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, featuring NHLC staff attorney Siya H.. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e9YqR8kd
On August 28th, join us for an essential discussion on the impacts of the #JohnsonVGrantsPass Supreme Court ruling on people with disabilities. This upcoming webinar on August 28th at 11:00 am PT / 2:00pm ET will: - Provide an overview of the Grants Pass case and the disability-related “friend of the court” briefs filed in the case; - Explain why people with disabilities are particularly at-risk of harm due to the increased criminalization of homelessness; - Explore the relationship between the Grants Pass case, CARE Courts / civil commitments, and efforts to increase the institutionalization of disabled people; - Critique the role of law enforcement and judicial authorities in responding to homelessness; and - Provide an overview of advocacy tools and strategic thinking regarding potential next steps in advocacy. Speakers: - Michelle Uzeta, Deputy Legal Director, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) - Monica Porter Gilbert, Policy & Legal Advocacy Attorney, The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law - Siya H., Staff Attorney, National Homelessness Law Center Register here: https://loom.ly/2JeUGj4