December marks the start of holidays, the end of the year, and the beginning of winter. For me, it also marks the 16th anniversary of my so-far successful treatment for cancer.

Each year, as I think about my good fortune, I cant help but wonder what would have happened to me had I been uninsured, without access to good doctors and hospitals, without friends and family with the wherewithal to help, without a home. What would have happened to me if Id been poor or homeless? I very much doubt Id be alive today.

This is the reality in our country today. As many of us celebrate the season and other personal milestones, others of us are without the resources essential to meet our most basic needs: food, medical care, clothing and, above all, housing. Without safe, adequate housing, meeting other needs becomes extremely difficult or impossible.

These injustices do not have to be. Homelessness in the United States can be solved. That it continues, and grows, in the richest country on earth, is a terrible travesty. Here at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, we provide tools to communities, advocates and homeless people to change the systems that perpetuate these injustices.

And, as I look back in gratitude on the past 16 years, I also look forward to the day when everyone will have access to the opportunity for basic human dignity.

A federal court issued a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of a Las Vegas ordinance that prohibits sharing food with indigent people in public parks. The court order is a significant step in protecting the rights of homeless and poor persons and groups that share food with them.

In conjunction with other national advocacy groups, NLCHP filed an amicus brief in the case. The NLCHP amicus brief focused on the legal problems with the ordinance from the homeless persons perspective.

Click here for a copy of the amicus brief.

Another federal court, in California, issued a preliminary injunction to stop the City of Fresno from seizing and destroying homeless persons belongings when cleaning public areas. Over the past three years, the City of Fresno bulldozed a number of homeless encampments and destroyed homeless persons belongings in the process.

By issuing this injunction, the court has sent a message that homeless people have the same constitutional rights as everyone else and cities must respect those rights, said Tulin Ozdeger, NLCHP Civil Rights Staff Attorney.

NLCHP filed an affidavit in the Fresno case, providing protocols that ensure homeless persons rights are properly respected and that connect homeless persons with outreach workers and services.

In November, hundreds of educators and advocates from across the country gathered in Little Rock, Ark. to focus on the educational needs of homeless students. The event was the 18th Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth (NAEHCY).

Attendees learned about federal laws affecting homeless students and best practices for serving vulnerable young people. For the first time, the conference featured a child welfare track that highlighted the similarities between homeless and foster children while also discussing how to jointly address the needs of both populations. Other sessions focused on preschool services, transportation, special education, and disaster preparedness. Finally, the audience listened to a series of inspiring keynote speakers including Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon General, and Dr. Bob Barr, a nationally recognized expert on low income children.

NLCHP staff attorney Joy Moses appeared on various panels including those focused on unaccompanied youth, understanding federal laws, and the reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

She also distributed various NLCHP publications. If you received any NLCHP publications at the conference, please provide us with your thoughts and feedback by filling out this survey.

The next NAEHCY conference will be held in Portland, Oregon on November 10-13, 2007.

For more information, please visit NAEHCYs website.

NLCHP, along with other prominent civil and human rights organizations, met in November with members of the State and Justice Departments to discuss the U.S. reporting obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The State Department indicated that its report is still being developed and encouraged submissions of information for consideration by mid-January.

NLCHP is coordinating its submissions with other groups, and encourages others to do so as well. The State Department will likely issue its final report in early summer 2007.

Under CERD, racial discrimination is defined to include both intentionally discriminatory policies and those that have a discriminatory effect. For example, earlier this year, NLCHP advocacy resulted in a statement from the U.N. Human Rights Committee that the U.S. government is responsible for remedying the fact that while African-Americans make up only 12 percent of the overall U.S. population, they make up 50 percent of the homeless population.

The government report is unlikely to reflect all critical information submitted by NLCHP and its allies, but it will likely highlight best practices. If so, the State Department report could be a good tool for sharing success stories of governmental or non-governmental programs.

Once the government report is issued, NLCHP will lead coordinated efforts to issue a reply shadow report on discrimination in housing.

For more information on coordination and how to submit information, contact NLCHP Human Rights Staff Attorney Eric Tars.

NLCHP thanks the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and the U.S. Human Rights Foundation for their support of the Human Rights Program.

We would like to welcome Robert Nasdor as the new Legal Director for NLCHP! Bob works closely with our Executive Director, Maria Foscarinis, on designing and implementing NLCHP programs to increase resources for and promote the rights of poor and homeless people. In addition, he is responsible for supervising NLCHP program staff and carrying out the programs of the organization.

Prior to joining NLCHP, Bob was the Executive Director of the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts. LACCM provides free civil legal assistance to low-income and elderly residents of Worcester County. While at LACCM, Bob oversaw a $2.5 million annual operating budget and a staff of 30 employees. He also created Live Justice, an interactive website that provides real-time Internet-based legal help.

Before serving as the Executive Director of LACCM, Bob was a Civil Rights Attorney with Smith Mullin P.C., a Housing Attorney with the Passaic County Legal Aid Society, and the Founder and Project Development Director of Middlesex Interfaith Partners with the Homeless.

Bob is a 1992 graduate of the Rutgers University School of Law where he also received his B.A. in 1981.

On the crisp morning of November 18, Team National Law Center marched proudly through the streets of Washington to raise money to end and prevent homelessness. A team of 15 NLCHP supporters, staff, and board members joined over 10,000 people at Fannie Maes Help the Homeless Walkathon.

After a stirring welcome from singer/songwriter Jewel, Team National Law Center got their fitness for the week from the 5K walk around the nations capital. With a route past the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument and along the Potomac River, the walk was a feast for the eyes and good for the heart.

While the total amount of funds raised through the Walkathon are still being calculated, its safe to say that the members of Team National Law Center walked away with a smile.

We know youre not the type to do any last-minute holiday shopping. But, just in case you want to get a jump on next years shopping list, you should check out iGive . At no extra cost to you, the stores affiliated with iGives online mall donate a percentage of your purchase to NLCHP or the organization of your choice.

Some of the stores at the iGive Mall include: Barnes & Noble, Lands End, OfficeMax, Dell, American Eagle Outfitters, and over 400 more!

Whether youre shopping for a last-minute holiday gift, or something special for that special someone for Valentines Day (only two months away), you can iGive to NLCHP!

Visit our website at www.nlchp.org! Contact us at (202) 638-2535 or email us at network@nlchp.org