White House Policy on Homelessness Based on Politics, Not Public Safety or Health FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karianna Barr Director of Development & Communications 202-638-2535 kbarr@homelesslaw.org (November 22, 2019, Washington, DC)—Last Friday, the White House removed the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), Matthew Doherty, raising concerns that it plans to move forward with a political, rather than evidence-based, strategy to addressing homelessness in California and across the country. Doherty’s forced departure comes months after the Council of Economic Advisors released a white paper that ignores [...]

Mega-Tents Do Not Solve Homelessness, Or Excuse Sweeps National Homelessness Experts Condemn Texas Governor’s Action FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona 202-638-2535 x109 – cletona@homelesslaw.org (November 7, 2019, Washington, D.C.) – On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ignored the voices of countless Austin residents when he ordered the displacement of homeless people living under Texas bridges in the Austin area—with no plan for where they would go. In apparent response to these actions, the Austin Chamber of Commerce announced plans to spend millions on a “large tent structure,” which the [...]

White House Policy Paper on Homelessness Misrepresents Evidence, Drives Wrong Conclusions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karianna Barr 202-638-2535, Ext. 118 kbarr@homelesslaw.org (September 17, 2019, Washington, DC)—On Monday evening, President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisors released a white paper that ignores and directly contradicts the evidence-based consensus of 19 of his own agencies.  Last year, those agencies published the Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, stating that housing, low barrier shelter, and decriminalization is the best way to end homelessness. “The President and I agree that homelessness is a disgrace to our [...]

Trump Administration’s Plan to Crack Down on Homeless Encampments Raises Alarms FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crystal Letona Communications Associate 202-638-2535 x109 – cletona@homelesslaw.org (September 12, 2019, Washington, DC) – On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that President Trump ordered White House officials to “crack down” on homeless encampments in California. While the Law Center agrees that unsheltered homelessness is a crisis in California and across the country, we are concerned about the Administration’s plans to displace people without real attention to alternatives. “Simply razing encampments without ensuring adequate alternatives is [...]

700,000 U.S. Minors are Alone and Without A Home: New Report Addresses Their Rights In Every State NN4Y Contact: Darla Bardine Executive Director Darla.bardine@nn4youth.org NLCHP Contact: Cassidy Waskowicz Acting Director of Development & Communications cwaskowicz@homelesslaw.org Legal Barriers Prevent Youth from Accessing Essentials like Shelter, Health Care, School (February 13, 2019, Washington, D.C.) – A new report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and National Network for Youth discusses the state laws impacting an estimated 700,000 minors in the U.S. experiencing homelessness alone each year. These youth face high risks of assault, dropping out of school, food insecurity, [...]

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Adopts New Guiding Principles and Practices for Unsheltered Homelessness NLCHP Contact: Cassidy Waskowicz  Acting Director of Development & Communications cwaskowicz@homelesslaw.org 202-638-2535 ext 105 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 7, 2019, Los Angeles, CA) – On February 28, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) adopted new policy that calls for decriminalizing life-sustaining survival actions of the more than 40,000 Los Angelenos who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The policy, entitled Guiding Principles and Practices for Local Responses to Unsheltered Homelessness, outlines principles that affirm the civil rights of those experiencing homelessness. This guidance cites the Encampment Principles [...]