Recap of 8/29 Homelessness & Housing First Webinar
More than 5,500 people registered for the Homelessness and Housing First webinar hosted by NLIHC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) on August 29! Thank you to all who attended!
The webinar, “Homelessness is a Housing Problem,” began with a presentation by Gregg Colburn, a professor at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. Professor Colburn shared research he conducted with data journalist Clayton Aldern that found that housing market conditions – not mental illness, drug use, poverty, weather, generosity of public assistance, or low-income mobility – explain why some communities have higher rates of homelessness than others.
Ana Rausch and Jessica Preheim of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County shared how Houston has used Housing First to successfully house 25,000 people experiencing homelessness.
Dora Leong Gallo of A Community of Friends provided an overview of Housing First and explained how the strategy is fundamental to ending homelessness for people with disabilities and substance use disorders.
Sarah Owsley of Empower Missouri spoke about harmful legislation recently enacted in her state that criminalizes homelessness, undermines Housing First, and redirects funding that would have been used to address long-term housing needs to instead create encampments.
Bonnie Harper of Partners Behavioral Health Management and Michele Knapp of Diakonos/Fifth Street Ministries shared best practices identified during their recent roundtable discussion with elected officials, health experts, and the faith-based community on the importance of Housing First.
Steve Berg of NAEH also joined the call to share how advocates can take action to advance the bold policies and anti-racist reforms needed to ensure all people have safe, stable, affordable, and accessible places to call home.
We have uploaded a recording of the call, as well as the presentation slides.
Take Action:
Advocates can participate in a Virtual Capitol Hill Day hosted by NAEH on Wednesday, September 14! Use this opportunity to speak with your members of Congress about the importance of Housing First and the need for robust investments in affordable housing and homelessness resources. If you have any questions or would like help setting up virtual meetings, please reach out to Jerry Jones at [email protected].
You can also use a new advocacy toolkit published by NLIHC. The toolkit includes everything you’ll need to engage your elected officials, including talking points, tips for scheduling in-district meetings and tours of affordable housing developments, social media messages, and more.
Upcoming Webinars:
- Monday, September 12 - “Long-Term Solutions and Successful Strategies”
- Wednesday, September 28 - “How to Address Unsheltered Homelessness”
Each webinar in the four-part series will take place from 2:30 to 4:00 pm ET. Register for the new series at: https://bit.ly/3vIbn5o
Resources discussed on the call:
- Homelessness is a Housing Problem
- Charlotte Observer and News & Observer investigation on corporate investors
- Charlotte Observer article on Mecklenburg officials pushing for federal review of corporate landlords’ impact
- New York Times article on Houston’s approach to homelessness
- Houston/Harris County Community COVID-19 Housing Program (CCHP)
- Homeless Encampment Response Strategy
- Houston Chronicle article on the Homeless Encampment Response Strategy
- Fact sheet on the Cicero Institute model bill
- Iredell Free News and Queen City News articles about roundtable discussion with Representative Patrick McHenry
- Housing First Resources (NLIHC)
- Housing First Fact Sheet and Tools (NAEH)
- August Recess 2022 Toolkit (NLIHC)
- Sign a national letter to support the highest funding possible for affordable housing programs.
ICYMI: Did your miss our first webinar on “Emerging Threats Facing People Experiencing Homelessness”? Check out the summary of the event, with links to the recording of the call, presentation slides, and other resources!
Decades of learning, experience, and research have proven that Housing First is the most effective approach for ending homelessness. Housing First recognizes that affordable and accessible homes are the foundation on which people thrive, and by combining housing with access to supportive services, Housing First can help people exit homelessness and live stably in their communities.
Urgent action is needed at all levels of government to end America’s housing and homelessness crisis. In communities across the nation, however, some misguided policymakers are responding to this crisis by advancing dangerous rhetoric and harmful, dehumanizing measures that will make it even harder for people to exit homelessness.
It is critical that advocates nationwide are unified in pushing back against stigmatizing and counterproductive efforts that seek to criminalize homelessness, impose punitive requirements, and even prevent the development of affordable housing. As our communities struggle with soaring inflation, skyrocketing rents, increased evictions, and, in many cases, more homelessness, it is more important than ever that advocates work together to advance the bold policies and anti-racist reforms needed to ensure stable, affordable, and accessible homes for all people experiencing and at risk of homelessness.