Washington, DC, December 10, 2018 – Today, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty joined the close to 190,000 other commenters in submitting a comment opposing the proposed “public charge rule,” that will prevent immigrant families from pursuing permanent legal residency if they or someone in their household legally uses assistance through certain federal programs including housing and nutrition programs.

Washington, DC, December 10, 2018 – Today, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty joined the close to 190,000 other commenters in submitting a comment opposing the proposed “public charge rule,” that will prevent immigrant families from pursuing permanent legal residency if they or someone in their household legally uses assistance through certain federal programs including housing and nutrition programs.

Washington, DC, September 25, 2018 – Over the weekend, the Trump Administration announced a rule that will prevent immigrant families from pursuing permanent legal residency if they or someone in their household legally uses assistance through certain federal programs.

Let us be clear: human rights an human needs do not disappear based on immigration status. Everyone needs a safe, secure place to live, nutritious food, and access to adequate health care. Keeping poor families out of housing and denying them food will only force them into deeper poverty and potential homelessness. This hurts the, their children, and our communities.

Washington, DC, September 19, 2018 – Six homeless people whose property was destroyed when they were evicted from their outdoor homes filed a lawsuit against the City of Puyallup and Pierce County, Washington. The complaint alleges that the city and county violated their constitutional rights when they destroyed or threw away their shelters and other needed property on little or no notice, and without any opportunity to challenge the destruction.

Boise, Idaho, September 4, 2018 – Today the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that homeless persons cannot be punished for sleeping outside in the absence of adequate alternatives in Martin v. Boise (formerly Bell v. Boise), a lawsuit challenging Boise, Idaho’s ban on sleeping in public. In so holding, the court of appeals permitted various homeless individuals who have received criminal citations under Boise’s policy to proceed with their constitutional claims against the City.

Washington, D.C., August 28, 2018 – A nationwide effort to strike down bans on panhandling commenced today as part of the Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign. Advocates in a dozen states are demanding more than 200 cities repeal panhandling bans and redirect resources to housing and other support for people experiencing homelessness.

Washington, D.C., August 8, 2018 – Three people who have experienced homelessness and a national advocacy group filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block a Greensboro ordinance that criminalizes “agressive” panhandling and many activities protected by the First Amendment. The plaintiffs are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or North Carolina, Legal Aid of North Carolina and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. The groups say that Greensboro’s ordinance violates the free speech, equal protection, and due process rights of people who ask for contributions in public places in the city.

Washington, D.C., July 26, 2018 – Hundreds of homeless people in San Diego, many with disabilities, hope to lawfully stay in their RVs and other vehicles after today’s preliminary injunction hearing. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, along with Disability Rights California, Fish & Richardson PC, and others, will be heard in court at 2 p.m. PST to request that ticketing and impounding of homeless persons’ vehicles, often the only form of shelter available to poor and disable people in the city’s increasingly unaffordable rental market, be stopped during the pendency of the class action lawsuit, Bloom et al. vs. City of San Diego.

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2018 – For the fourth time since 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is encouraging communities to decriminalize homelessness. Last month, HUD issued its annual Notice Of Funding Application (NOFA) for its $2.2 billion grant stream for Continuums of Care – the public/private collaboratives that provide homeless services across the country. The funding application offers additional points to communities that document the steps they are taking to combat the criminalization of homelessness.

Los Angeles, CA, June 28, 2018 – Today, Cyndi Lauper and the True Colors Fund, in partnership with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, unveiled the State Index on Youth Homelessness – a first-of-its-kind resource that evaluates all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness.

Washington, D.C., June 27, 2018 – Today the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty will hold the 2018 National Forum on the Human Right to Housing in Washington, D.C., at the law offices of Sidley Austin LLP. With over 170 people from across the United States registered to attend, the annual Forum serves as a platform for key voices in activism including those currently or formerly experiencing homelessness.

Washington, D.C., June 21, 2018 – On June 20, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development issued its annual Notice Of Funding Application for its $2.2 billion grant stream for Continuums of Care – the public/private collaborative that provide homeless services across the country. For the fourth time since 2015, the funding application offers additional points to communities that document the steps they are taking to combat the criminalization of homelessness.

Washington, D.C., June 12, 2018 – On Friday, June 8, a U.S. District Court denied the City of San Diego’s motion to dismiss in a lawsuit challenges the ticketing of homeless people living in RVs and other vehicles.

Washington, D.C., June 4, 2018 – Last Friday, the top United Nations expert on poverty and human rights Philip Alston issued his official report on his mission to the United States in December 2017.

Washington, D.C., May 24, 2018 – The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 (PTFA), a federal protection for renters living in homes that are foreclosed, has been reinstated and signed into law by President Trump. The PTFA requires banks to provide at least 90 days’ notice before being required to move due to foreclosure. Leaders at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center) actively advocated for the PTFA’s renewal since its expiration in 2014.

Washington, D.C., May 2, 2018 – The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, with pro bono support from Sidley Austin LLP, is suing the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for failing to turn over documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Washington, D.C., April 26, 2018 – On Wednesday, Secretary Ben Carson of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) made public a plan to increase rent for millions of the nation’s poorest households. For the lowest income families, rent will be tripled.

Washington, D.C., April 13, 2018 – Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond, is the inspiration for a new exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The immersive exhibition will premiere April 14, presenting new data developed by Desmond’s Eviction Lab and using original photography and audio interviews to examine the impact of eviction.

Washington, D.C., March 20, 2018 – Strengthening tenants’ rights can reduce housing instability and prevent homelessness, according to a new report released today by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.