It's just after Thanksgiving, a time when we traditionally give thanks for all we have. It's also a time when many people feel moved to volunteer on behalf of those in need. But in many parts of our country, this kind of volunteerism is coming up against the criminal justice system.

Feeding Intolerance, a new national report published by NLCHP in partnership with the National Coalition for the Homeless, documents this trend: cities are now punishing people and groups for sharing food with poor and homeless people in public places. It's a new, disturbing twist on the ongoing practice by many cities to criminalize homelessness.

Some cities are bucking the trend, and the report makes recommendations supporting city efforts to reach out to people in need. The report also recommends federal policy changes to increase access to aid - like food stamps - for homeless people, who suffer disproportionately from hunger. Click here to read more about the report.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) touted the findings of its new report, showing that the number of "chronically" homeless persons declined by approximately 12% from 2005 to 2006. That's good news for the people helped, and it also shows we can end homelessness - if we commit resources to solutions.

But the numbers represent only a small fraction of a very narrowly defined part of the homeless population. And, while the Administration has pushed for increases in funding for homelessness programs, it's advocated for cuts in critical programs - contributing to the causes of homelessness - including proposing a $3 billion cut to the 2008 HUD budget.

Meanwhile, needy people are still on the street. And now, even those who try to help are being punished.

Maria Foscarinis
Executive Director

NLCHP is investigating the connections between housing instability and family involvement in the child welfare system. To help NLCHP gain a better understanding of the overlapping issues, as well as about how these problems are experienced in different regions of the country, NLCHP is surveying lawyers and advocates representing youth involved in the child welfare system.

Previous research by the National Center on Family Homelessness has found that 12% of homeless children are placed in foster care, compared to just over 1% of other children. Additional studies have shown that as many as 30% of children in foster care could be reunited with their parents if safe, affordable housing were available to the families. In fact, family reunification data indicates that housing and income are more important factors than substance abuse in determining whether children are able to remain with their families.

If you work on this issue, please complete the online survey here.

Also, please forward this information to colleagues and associates who can add to NLCHP's knowledge in this area.

On November 5th, over 200 advocates gathered in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. for NLCHP's annual National Forum on the Human Right to Housing. The video conference gathered advocates, lawyers, and service providers to discuss housing rights violations and the strategies participants are employing to advocate on behalf of homeless and poor Americans.

"Residents of public housing in New Orleans told how they are fighting bulldozers coming to destroy their homes later this month," said Maria Foscarinis, NLCHP's Executive Director. "But at each of the other locations, people understood that their homes will be under threat one day, too, unless we shift the conversation in this country to one about guaranteeing the right to housing."

Following the successful Forum, participants will use lessons learned to continue advocating for housing as a human right. Key follow-up activities agreed upon include:

• Each city held a solidarity rally on November 13th to oppose the imminent destruction of 3,000 units of public housing in New Orleans. These units were mostly undamaged by Hurricane Katrina, but are now threatened by development plans that do not value the residents of public housing, most of whom were women and children.
• In Los Angeles, advocates will continue their work to integrate the human right to housing into public planning documents, including the L.A. Housing Element, as they did in the past with the city's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness.
• Advocates in Minneapolis are using human rights strategies to challenge a "lurking" ordinance, which allows police to arrest homeless persons even if they are not engaged in any criminal activity.
• The Heartland Alliance for Human Rights and Human Needs in Chicago will continue its campaign to cut poverty in Illinois in half by 2015 in line with the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.
• In Washington, D.C., NLCHP will continue to coordinate the national movement. It will also hold the U.S. accountable for racial discrimination in housing and homelessness before the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), when it reviews the U.S. in February 2008.

Click here to read the conference report.

NLCHP thanks the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the US Human Rights Fund, and Holland & Knight LLP for their generous support of the Human Rights Program and the National Forum.

NLCHP attorneys recently conducted a series of trainings in Washington, D.C.; Maryland; and Virginia on domestic violence survivors' housing rights and their children's ability to attend an appropriate school of the parent's choice. Entitled "Improving Housing and School Stability for Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Children," the trainings brought together advocates, attorneys, school staff, and others working in the field.

Attendees learned about important housing protections guaranteed under the 2005 reauthorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2005), the Fair Housing Act, and relevant state laws. The VAWA reauthorization ensures that domestic violence victims who are tenants in federal public housing and Section 8 programs are not evicted from or denied housing because they are victims. It also provides portability for Section 8 vouchers, the possibility of bifurcating a lease, and increased housing-grant funds for victims of domestic violence.

Attendees also learned about key education rights for homeless children, with a focus on the McKinney-Vento Act, which generally ensures that homeless students have the right to attend their school of origin or to enroll immediately in a new school even if usually required paperwork is not yet available.

Along with providing training materials, NLCHP offered many of the attendees follow-up technical assistance and referrals to local organizations that can help resolve clients' issues.

As a result of the trainings, DLA Piper attorneys are now working with NLCHP to develop a "Know Your Rights" brochure for survivors. The brochure will be distributed by advocates and schools, as well as at appropriate locations where survivors can easily access the information.

Copies of the training materials can be downloaded here.

For more information, please contact NLCHP's Domestic Violence Program Staff Attorney, Kathy Zeisel, at Kzeisel@nlchp.org, or NLCHP's Children & Youth Staff Attorney, Joy Moses, at Jmoses@nlchp.org.

NLCHP thanks the Freddie Mac Foundation for its generous support of the Domestic Violence Program and the Children & Youth Program.

In mid-November, Congress passed the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, which included recommendations developed by NLCHP and its coalition partners. The legislation completes a multi-year process of reviewing and revising the Head Start Act, the primary federal law providing preschool and school readiness programs to low income children throughout the nation.

Homeless children have historically faced difficulties in accessing Head Start due to their frequent residential moves and a general lack of federal funding that prevents communities from serving all eligible children. A shortage of program slots leads to waitlists that often exclude homeless families, who never reach the top of any one community's waitlist before moving on to another temporary housing situation in a different community.

The 2007 Head Start Act includes new provisions that instruct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop regulations that will require Head Start Agencies to ensure that homeless children are 1) identified and receive priority for enrollment and 2) allowed to enroll in and attend programs while required documents are obtained. The legislation also includes new provisions that encourage relevant trainings for program staff while promoting collaborations between Head Start Agencies and public school homeless education programs.

NLCHP would like to thank the law firm of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP (SRZ) for being the Presenting Sponsor of the 2007 McKinney-Vento Awards.

SRZ continues to garner accolades for the pro bono work it performed last year on behalf of the "Katrina homeless". The firm's lawyers devoted 8,000 hours to the class action suit McWaters v. FEMA, which resulted in a court order requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide shelter to more than 150,000 people at risk of losing their temporary housing. In recognition of the firm's efforts, SRZ's Howard Godnick, Jeffrey Sabin and Daniel Greenberg earlier this year were all nominated for The Public Justice Foundation's 2007 Trial Lawyer of the Year Awards.

Meanwhile, SRZ was one of the first law firms in New York City to support the Coalition for the Homeless' "First Step" job training program for homeless, formerly homeless and low-income women. The firm hosted a "Career Day" for the graduates and extended offers of employment to two of them.

On the litigation front, SRZ joined forces with the New York Civil Liberties Union in the recent filing of a class action complaint alleging that the State of New York has failed to provide adequate counsel to those accused of crimes who cannot afford to pay for a private lawyer, and a small army of SRZ lawyers is working with the Equal Justice Institute to abolish the practice of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for juvenile offenders.

NLCHP would like to thank law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP for being the Event Sponsor of the 2007 McKinney-Vento Awards.

Sullivan & Cromwell is proud of their commitment to enhancing the quality of life and law in the communities they serve. They encourage their lawyers to participate in pro bono activities. They also hire one associate each year to handle pro bono cases exclusively, and have hired Marcia Levy as Special Counsel for Pro Bono Initiatives.

Recent victories and ongoing projects include:

• Pipeline Crisis/Winning Strategies Initiative. Along with Goldman Sachs and Harvard Law School, S&C created the Initiative to address the social and economic concerns that have reduced the number of black men in the pipeline to higher education and professional endeavors. In July 2007, the Initiative held its second highly successful Forum.
• Prisoners' rights. As co-counsel with The Legal Aid Society, S&C attorneys settled a prisoners' rights class action, leading to reform of use of force policies and practices in New York City jails. The Court noted that "in the best pro bono publico tradition of the New York City law firms, Sullivan & Cromwell . . . provided extraordinary lawyering and support."
• Criminal defense. In 2006, S&C lawyers concluded an 11-year representation, obtaining acquittal for a defendant previously convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
• Sexual orientation discrimination. S&C lawyers have prepared several amicus briefs supporting the rights of gay men and lesbians regarding adoption and marriage. The Firm also litigated on behalf of a pro bono client concerning rights to domestic partner benefits.
• Refugees. S&C lawyers represent refugees seeking asylum from political, religious and gender-based persecution and sexual orientation discrimination.
• Domestic abuse. S&C represents battered women in domestic relations proceedings.
• AIDS. Our attorneys provide estate planning for patients at the New York Hospital AIDS clinic.
• Literacy. S&C mentors local public school students in literacy programs and pre-law competitions, and formed a service partnership with Frederick Douglass Academy (FDA) in Harlem to improve FDA's access to advanced educational resources.

On October 24, NLCHP held the 9th Annual McKinney-Vento Awards Ceremony at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, D.C. The night celebrated organizations and leaders who have made a significant impact in the lives of homeless people. NLCHP also received over $150,000 in sponsorships and donations to support our work.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed received the Stewart B. McKinney Award for his leadership in advocating for working-class families and for creating innovative solutions for homeless people by co-sponsoring the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act.

Etan Thomas, of the Washington Wizards, shared this year's Bruce F. Vento Award with the Honorable Judge Jay C. Zainey of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Thomas was honored for his outspoken, relentless advocacy on behalf of homeless and low-income people, including incarcerated youth and Hurricane Katrina victims. Judge Zainey received the award for his leadership in organizing the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) Program, which provides legal consultation and notary services at four homeless centers in New Orleans.

Covington & Burling LLP was awarded this year's Pro Bono Counsel Award for the firm's two decades of commitment to ending homelessness and for its role in securing enactment of the landmark McKinney-Vento Act.

Rickie Slaughter was this year's Personal Achievement Award winner. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he struggled with homelessness and drug addiction for twenty years. Then he found his way to New Directions, Inc., a rehabilitation facility for homeless veterans in Los Angeles, where he now works as a certified Drug Addictions Recovery Specialist assisting other homeless veterans.

Special guests included: Master of Ceremonies Chuck Edson, Susan Vento, wife of the late Congressman Bruce F. Vento, and Congressman Chris Shays.

The winner of NLCHP's artwork contest, six-year-old Christina White, also attended with her parents. The artwork wall, displaying children's paintings and drawings from this and previous years, was sponsored by Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.

Presenting Sponsor
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

Event Sponsor
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Leadership Circle
Covington & Burling LLP
Freddie Mac
Goldman Sachs

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