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 [...]

As Shutdown Puts Families at Risk of Homelessness, Federal Law Protects Children’s School Rights FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Cassidy Waskowicz Acting Director of Development & Communications 202-638-2535 cwaskowicz@homelesslaw.org (January 25, 2019, Washington, D.C.) – Over 2.5 million children experience homelessness each year in the U.S., and advocates fear their ranks will increase due to the continuing government shutdown. As the 800,000 federal government employees currently furloughed or working without pay miss their second paycheck today, some will be unable to pay their rent or mortgage--putting them and their families at risk [...]