As we enter 2007, we see deepening poverty and diminishing resources for basic human needs. At NLCHP, we also see an increased need for advocacy at the national and local levels. In 2007, we plan to expand and strengthen our role as the legal arm of the national movement to end and prevent homelessness to:

• increase our support of local service and advocacy groups through tools and information, model laws and best practices, and technical assistance,
• build the capacity of our local partners through targeted support and advocacy,
• monitor and enforce the legal rights of homeless people - through litigation, if necessary, and
• strengthen the national movement to end and prevent homelessness by building a national advocacy agenda and increasing collaboration among national and local organizations.

Collaboration will be the key to our success. As we move forward, NLCHP will look to our law firm partnersespecially our LEAP membersto work on a myriad of pro bono projects. In addition, as we work on new local policies and to enforce existing laws, we will seek out and support our local service and advocacy partners. And, we will look to allied national groups for collaboration.

Last week, NLCHP convened a meeting of the leaders of national organizations working on homelessness and related issues. Representatives of 16 organizations participated and discussed their priorities, the need for new national policies, and strategies for greater collaboration. The meeting was a good startone we all hope will advance our work to end and prevent homelessness.

In a promising move, the 110th Congress elected strong supporters of low-income housing and human services programs to key committee chairmanships.

Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) is the new chair of the House Financial Services Committee and Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) will chair the Housing and Community Opportunities Subcommittee. Waters subcommittee has jurisdiction over the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs and other housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) will chair the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal welfare and disability benefits programs.

One of the first steps for the new Congress will be to address unfinished issues from the prior Congress. Last December, the 109th Congress passed a Continuing Resolution to temporarily fund federal agencies until February 15, 2007. The new Congress will need to fund federal programs through the end of the current fiscal year (September 30, 2007). NLCHP and other advocates are pressing Congress to secure desperately needed funding increases for the McKinney Act programs.

Additional legislation that is likely to be considered this year includes: an affordable housing fund, the Bringing America Home Act, food stamp reauthorization, and a bill to reauthorize the McKinney-Vento programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Congressman Barney Frank is expected to introduce the affordable housing fund as part of legislation to reform the housing finance-related Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs). The bill would create a revolving funding source for new, affordable housing units targeted at low-income persons. Rep. Frank indicated that the first years funding will be directed to the Gulf Coast region to assist in rebuilding areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. NLCHP, the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, and other housing advocates will work to support this bill. In addition, they plan to introduce legislation to authorize a National Housing Trust Fund dedicated to creating affordable housing for extremely low-income persons.

Representative Julia Carson (D-IN) will re-introduce the Bringing America Home Act. NLCHP is working with her staff to develop additional provisions that would improve homeless persons access to federal benefits and programs.

Both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are expected to consider the Farm Bill reauthorization this year. A key component of the Farm Bill will be the reauthorization of the food stamp program. NLCHP is developing recommendations to increase food stamp benefit levels and reduce barriers to food stamp participation by homeless persons. NLCHP will work with food security advocacy groups to press for these changes in the legislation.

In the Senate, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is expected to re-introduce legislation to reauthorize the HUD-Administered McKinney-Vento programs. NLCHP is preparing comments to submit to Senator Reed and will be working with other homeless advocacy organizations to improve the HUD McKinney-Vento programs.

For more information or to be added to NLCHPs advocacy alert email list, please e-mail Laurel Weir.

Just before the new year, the Protection from Discriminatory Eviction for Victims of Domestic Violence Amendments Act of 2006 (A16-629) unanimously passed the full D.C. Council and was signed by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams.

The measure now goes to Congress for review. The bill was co-introduced by D.C. Councilmembers Adrian Fenty and Jim Graham and co-sponsored by Councilmember Kathy Patterson in early 2006.

The final legislation demonstrates national leadership in protecting the housing rights of domestic violence survivors and preventing homelessness, said NLCHP staff attorney Naomi Stern.

The act will:

• amend the D.C. Rental Housing Act to allow tenants to raise domestic violence as a defense against eviction in landlord-tenant court if an incident related to domestic violence was the reason the landlord proceeded with an eviction,
• amend the D.C. Rental Housing Act to permit a victim of domestic violence to terminate a lease early, without financial penalty, in order to flee abuse, and
• amend the D.C. Human Rights Act to add status as a victim of an intrafamily offense to the list of prohibited bases for housing discrimination covered under the law.

The measures success was the result of three years of advocacy, education, and outreach by the D.C. Working Group on Domestic Violence and Housing, convened by NLCHPs Domestic Violence Program.

This major housing rights victory also would not have been possible without the specific commitment and leadership of our local partners: D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless; Legal Aid Society of D.C.; Women Empowered Against Violence; My Sisters Place; House of Ruth; So Others Might Eat; Citizens About Real Empowerment; D.C. Womens Agenda; D.C. Employment Justice Center; Howard University School of Law Fair Housing Clinic; Bread for the City Legal Clinic; Asian-Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project; Ayuda, Inc.; N Street Village; Our Place, D.C.; Break the Cycle; Deaf Abused Womens Network; Ramonas Way; and many others.

As the bill goes through the final approval process, NLCHP will work with its local partners to develop know-your-rights materials and conduct trainings for individuals and advocates about the new law.

Read NLCHPs analysis of similar laws and measures in other jurisdictions.

Read more about the measure from the D.C. Council.

NLCHPs D.C. Working Group is supported in part by generous grants from the Freddie Mac Foundation and the Trellis Fund.

NLCHP Civil Rights Staff Attorney, Tulin Ozdeger, was in Fort Myers, FL, on January 16 to testify at a City Council hearing to oppose a proposed ordinance that would restrict groups from sharing food in city parks. The ordinance would restrict the number of times groups could serve food to more than 10 people in city parks to twice a year.

Unfortunately, Fort Myers is following the national trend of cities to place restrictions on groups sharing food with homeless people, said Tulin Ozdeger. We hope that the Fort Myers City Council will recognize that passing this law will not address the underlying causes of homelessness.

Las Vegas, Orlando, and Dallas are other cities that recently passed laws restricting groups from sharing food with homeless persons. NLCHP recently filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit challenging the Las Vegas law and is conducting advocacy in Orlando and Dallas to promote changing their restrictions.

With such a wide gap between existing resources and the needs of homeless and low-income persons in these cities, cities should be praising not punishing groups that are trying to help, Ozdeger said.

Read an article from the News Press about the Fort Myers City Council hearing.

In what promises to be a cutting-edge model for human rights trainings across the nation, NLCHP and the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) are hosting a statewide Florida Housing & Human Rights Training Forum on Friday, February 9, 2007 from 9AM  5PM.

The conference will link lawyers, advocates, service providers, and grassroots activists in seven locations across the state of Florida via videoconference, thanks to the law firm of Holland & Knight. Training sessions will be held at Holland & Knight offices in: Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.

Through panel discussions pairing human rights trainers with local activists, the training session will explore the application of human rights principles with issues of fair housing, adequate housing, and the criminalization of homelessness. Breakout sessions in each training location will plan how to make the right to housing a reality in each of these Florida cities and plan for statewide advocacy.

Advocates, attorneys, service providers, and anyone concerned with homelessness and housing in Florida are welcome to attend.

Florida CLE credit is available for attorneys who attend the Florida Housing & Human Rights Training Forum.

For more information and a copy of the registration form, please visit the NLCHP website.

Support for the Florida Housing & Human Rights Training Forum is provided by generous grants from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and the U.S. Human Rights Fund.

Following weeks of protests by homeless advocates camped in red tents in Paris and other cities across France, French President Jacques Chirac proclaimed in his New Years address that France will pass a new law that guarantees a legal right to housing.

In sharp contrast to the U.S. welfare system, which gives housing assistance grudgingly and to limited populations, the French right to housing will be broadly applied. By 2008, homeless people, the working poor, and single women with children will be able to take legal action to have their rights enforced by state or local authorities. By 2012, the law will expand to include every person or family housed in unworthy or unsanitary conditions.

The new French law is similar to a law passed in Scotland three years ago that guaranteed a swift transition into temporary and then permanent housing for homeless individuals and families. Scotlands law began with the neediest, but was soon expanded to all homeless people.

The bill is slated to be introduced to the Parliament on January 17. NLCHP and its international partners will follow the development of the new law closely, and plan on making a translated version available for use as a potential model in the U.S.

At the request of Ted Waitt, the founder and owner of Gateway and the head of the Waitt Family Foundation, The San Diego Foundation awarded NLCHP a grant in the amount of $25,000 from the Digital Divide Fund.

The grant will help NLCHP pursue a technology initiative that will increase our capacity to serve our local partners and the people they serve. The technology initiative will:

• improve our ability to communicate timely, user-friendly information through our website, e-mail, toolkits, and audio training,
• improve our internal capacity and efficiency to better serve our constituents, and
• better leverage our resources by expanding our capacity to use volunteers to support our programs.

The Waitt Family Foundation established the Digital Divide Fund to help organizations and projects that are working to bridge the digital divide in America. Mr. Waitt and his family believe in using the power of technology to build strong communities and are working to provide computer resources to empower individuals, families, organizations, and communities.

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