The Problem

The Trump Administration, along with increasingly hostile state and local politicians, are trying to get rid of the proven and solutions-oriented housing plus services approach to homelessness and instead passing laws to make it illegal to be homeless. None of these proposals will solve these intersecting crises; they will only reinforce cycles of racism, harm, poverty, incarceration and homelessness.

Since the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision last June in Johnson v. Grants Pass, allowing cities to fine, ticket, and arrest people sleeping outside even when they have nowhere else to go, over 150 anti-homeless bills passed across the country. Now, Donald Trump and his billionaire allies at like Elon Musk and Cicero Institute are working to ramp up their anti-homeless, anti-Black, anti-poor, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBTQ agenda. We know that these policies will hurt everyone, but Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, disabled communities, and immigrants will hurt first, and hurt worst. And, as always, people who sleep outside will be among the first to feel the full effect of these policies.

The Solution

Join us in our work to FIGHT BACK!

At the National Homelessness Law Center, we are committed to fighting back against the Trump administration’s plans to make homelessness worse. We are inspired by the perseverance and determination of the movement to ensure everyone has the housing and support needed to thrive.

Movement leaders have coalesced around a series of strategies to build power to oppose these oppressive strategies, namely: 1) to support stronger and more strategic campaigns and policy change by supporting local organizers, providing technical assistance and toolkits; 2) to develop a rapid response plan to fight against Trump administrative actions and build toward a longer-term strategy of solutions; 3) to create scaffolding for a shared narrative framework; and 4) to increase collaboration between local and national partners.

We have more work ahead of us than ever, but we are not backing down. Together, we need to not only fight back against laws that make it illegal to be homelessness, we can build a country where everybody has the housing they need to thrive.

Will you join our fight and make a donation TODAY to support this work?

The Fight Back Fund will support the Law Center’s legal and policy response to federal, state and local efforts to punish people who have no choice but to sleep outside. By collectively pooling together our resources, your donation of any amount will support the crucial efforts needed to scale up our efforts meet the moment:

• $500 will support developing tool kits to educate advocates across the country
• $1,000 will support travel costs to engage with organizers on the ground
• $5,000 will support one national webinar on legal rights of unhoused persons
• $15K will support media engagement around Law Center cases and policy work
• $35K will support litigation expenses in 1 case
• $50K will support a new resource library for partners across the country to battle criminalization

Your donation of any amount today will make a huge difference in our ability to FIGHT BACK!