Human Right to Housing Awards
Including Presentation of Stewart B. McKinney & Bruce F. Vento Awards
The 2023 Human Right to Housing Awards were held on October 11, 2023 at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, DC. This year’s awards celebrated the incredible work of our honorees working the raise awareness around and advance solutions to the issues faced by our unhoused community, specifically unhoused youth and young adults. Thank you to everyone who made this event happen and stay tuned for information about the 2024 Human Right to Housing Awards!
History of the Human Right to Housing Awards
For 24 years, the National Homelessness Law Center has hosted an annual awards event to honor organizations, leaders, and changemakers that work to bring awareness to and advance the solutions to homelessness and poverty. These awards pay tribute to two outstanding national leaders: Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce F. Vento.
In 1987, the late Congressman Stewart B. McKinney was a primary sponsor of landmark legislation providing federal assistance to Americans experiencing homelessness. The late Congressman Bruce F. Vento worked in partnership with Stewart B. McKinney and served as one of the original authors of the McKinney Act. After his untimely death in 2000, the legislation was renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in recognition of Congressman Vento’s resolve to help homeless persons become self-sufficient. This Act is the first and only significant federal legislative response to homelessness. Since its passage, millions of dollars each year go to support a wide range of services and rights for people experiencing homelessness, from emergency shelter programs to education access for children. Defending these rights continues to be an important part of the work of the Law Center.
Beginning in 2022, this annual awards event’s name was changed to the Human Right to Housing Awards to reflect the direction of the movement to end homelessness and the broader work of the Law Center. The event continues to honor the work of these visionary leaders through the presentation of the Stewart B. McKinney Award and the Bruce F. Vento Award, in addition to other awards. We hope you join us in the next chapter of this decades-old celebration and check back here for more details!
2023 Honorees
Bruce F. Vento Award
Stewart B. McKinney Award
The collaborators of the “Unhoused & Undercounted” series
Center for Public Integrity, Street Sense Media, WAMU/DCist, and the Seattle Times
Pro Bono Counsel Award
State Legislator Award
Maryland State Senator, Mary Washington
Local Legislator Award
