California Introduces First-in-the-Nation Amendment to Recognize Housing as a Human Right Poll Shows Majority of Californians Support FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona Communications Associate cletona@homelesslaw.org (May 13, 2020, Sacramento, CA) – May 11, California became the first state in the country to officially propose amending their constitution to recognize the human right to housing. President Franklin Roosevelt first proposed recognizing housing in his “Second Bill of Rights” speech as part of addressing the Great Depression, and now, on the brink of a COVID-induced economic crisis, in a state [...]

Homeless Plaintiffs Seek Emergency Federal Court Order to Stop Towing and Impoundment of Vehicle Homes during COVID-19 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona cletona@homelesslaw.org (May 1, 2020, Washington, D.C.) – People living in vehicles in the City of San Diego—many with disabilities that increase the risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19—seek an emergency court order preventing the City from criminalizing living in vehicles and to stop towing and impoundment of vehicle homes during the COVID-19 outbreak. Represented by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (“Law Center”), Disability Rights [...]

CDC’s Prescription: Individual Housing for People Experiencing Homelessness During COVID-19 and Beyond FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona cletona@homelesslaw.org (April 23, 2020, Washington, D.C.) – This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their official guidance on COVID-19 to include sheltered homeless populations, stating, “Depending on resources and staff availability, non-group housing options (such as hotels/motels) that have individual rooms should be considered for the overflow, quarantine, and protective housing sites.” The CDC’s guidance for unsheltered populations already emphasizes that “Unless individual housing units are available, do [...]

CARES Act Provides Some COVID-19 Protections For Homeless Populations, But There Is More To Do FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona 202-638-2535 x 109 cletona@homelesslaw.org (March 27, 2020, Washington, D.C.) – Today, the House of Representatives passed the CARES Act, ensuring—amongst other provisions—that our unhoused neighbors are protected and that those at risk of becoming homeless are safe. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (The Law Center) is grateful that the final Stimulus bill includes $4 billion in funding and protections for [...]

CDC: Housing, Not Handcuffs Is the Way to Stop COVID-19 Amongst Homeless Populations Advocates Hail First Step, Call for More Help FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona 202-638-2535 x 109 cletona@homelesslaw.org (March 23, 2020, Washington, D.C.) – Late Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued official guidance stating, “Unless individual housing units are available, do not clear encampments during community spread of COVID-19.” The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center) and our Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign members agree with the outlined recommendations and are grateful [...]

Representatives Introduce Housing is a Human Right Act of 2020 Right to Housing Needed More than Ever with COVID-19 Threats, Say Advocates FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona 202-638-2535 x 109 cletona@homelesslaw.org (March 19, 2020, Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Housing is a Human Right Act of 2020. The bill, co-sponsored by Representative Grace Meng (NY-06), aims to “address and end root causes of homelessness; transition communities towards providing housing for all; and ensure full democratic participation of persons experiencing homelessness.” For these reasons, the [...]

Housing is the Next Step to Mitigating Coronavirus FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona Communications Associate 202-638-2535 x 109 cletona@homelesslaw.org (March 11, 2020, Washington, D.C.) – Without proper resources, people experiencing homelessness can be exceptionally vulnerable to communicable diseases—including the current outbreak of coronavirus, COVID-19. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty anticipates this virus to be not only a public health crisis, but also to direct attention to the safety and the rights of people lacking adequate housing and healthcare. As we consider the threats to our own [...]

Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit Over Alabama’s Laws Criminalizing Panhandling City of Montgomery Issued over 400 Citations in Last 18 Months Enforcing Laws in Violation of First Amendment  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Karianna Barr/NLCHP/ kbarr@homelesslaw.org/ 202-638-2535 x118 Jen Fuson/SPLC/jen.fuson@splcenter.org / 202-834-6209 Rebecca Seung-Bickley /Alabama ACLU/rseungbickley@aclualabama.org/334-420-1743 Montgomery, Ala.— Alabama’s panhandling laws violate the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech, according to a lawsuit filed today seeking to immediately stop the city of Montgomery and Alabama from enforcing two state statutes prohibiting panhandling.  The current laws make it unlawful for anyone to [...]

Supreme Court Lets Martin v. Boise Stand: Homeless Persons Cannot Be Punished for Sleeping in Absence of Alternatives FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona Communications Associate cletona@homelesslaw.org (December 16, 2019, Washington, DC) – This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by the city of Boise to review the case Martin v. Boise (formerly Bell v. Boise). This leaves in place earlier rulings by the 9th Circuit that homeless persons cannot be punished for sleeping outside on public property in the absence of adequate alternatives. People experiencing unsheltered homelessness—at least in [...]