This month's "bailout" -- or "financial rescue" -- should give poverty advocates pause.

Consider the mortgage crisis underlying the financial meltdown. People are losing their homes, and some are literally becoming homeless as a result. We are getting reports from providers around the country that shelters, soup kitchens and other resources are already stretched to capacity.

These newly homeless people are facing the same challenges and hardships as those already homeless. During this election season, and with this and other critical issues facing our country, the right to vote is more important than ever. But as I noted in a r ecently published letter to the New York Times, the very people who are most directly and harshly affected--those who are now becoming or already were homeless--are often excluded from the process.

What's more, consider the intensity of the political attention paid to the financial crisis, not to mention the $700 billion to address it. Imagine if a fraction of the attention and resources were devoted to solving the human crisis of homelessness. Imagine if we could elevate human needs - and rights - to the same level as financial ones.

Political representation and strength are crucial. This month NLCHP and others have been promoting our voter registration campaign, to make sure that homeless people have a vote and a voice. To strengthen our collective voice, national organizations have also joined forces on a Pledge to End Homelessness Campaign for candidates for office. and we are working on joint policy proposals for the new Administration.

We want to hear from you! Send your thoughts and ideas to nlchp@nlchp.org.

Maria Foscarinis
Executive Director

During the last week of September, more than 50 groups around the country participated in National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week. NLCHP's Civil Rights Director, Tulin Ozdeger, and Legal Intern, Luis Rodriguez, were featured on CNN as they provided workshops on registering homeless voters. Click here to see the 2-minute video.

On September 26, 2008 a federal district court judge found that an Orlando law restricting sharing food in public parks violated the rights of two groups who share food with homeless individuals. The court ruled that Orlando law violated plaintiffs' rights to free speech and to exercise one's religious beliefs under the First Amendment. Orlando Food Not Bombs and First Vagabonds Church, represented by the ACLU, challenged the ordinance. NLCHP filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs.

The ordinance at issue required groups sharing food with 25 or more people in public parks to obtain permits and limited groups to only two such food sharing events per year. Penalties for violating the ordinance included a fine of up to $500 and/or imprisonment up to 60 days. Earlier this year, a Food Not Bombs member was arrested for violating the ordinance, but ultimately was acquitted.

"This decision is a victory for food providers and homeless persons alike," said Tulin Ozdeger, NLCHP Civil Rights Director. "Hopefully, cities will reconsider restricting food providers and try to find a better approach to homelessness than just punishing those trying to help."

On September 28, Ecuador ratified a new constitution including the right to housing, the right to the city, and the right to water and sanitation.

Ecuador follows South Africa as the second country to make housing a constitutional right, but Ecuador's is the first constitution in the world to recognize other components of that right, including the right to a secure and healthy habitat, the right to the city and the right to water and sanitation.

NLCHP's international partner, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), together with various social organizations from Latin America, lobbied over a six month period for the recognition of these rights and participated in the preparation of proposals for Constitutional Articles on Housing, the City, Water, Public Services, territorial structuring and participatory planning.

By incorporating these rights into its Constitution, Ecuador ensures that its national law is in line with the international human rights obligations it has assumed. In practical terms, it also implies a greater degree of legitimacy and accountability, given that all of the policies and laws henceforth adopted in Ecuador will have to accord with these constitutional provisions.

In South Africa, several important judicial decisions interpreting their constitutional right to housing have greatly advanced international jurisprudence in this area. NLCHP will monitor developments as new laws are passed and Ecuador's judiciary interprets this right for potential beneficial language that could be adopted by U.S. advocates.

We are pleased to welcome Father Alexander Karloutsos to the NLCHP Board of Directors. He is the Assistant to Archbishop Demetrios of America and Spiritual Advisor to the Order of Saint Andrew Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America. He serves as Special Assistant to the Archbishop working as liaison with heads of churches, the White House, the Congress, state and local officials, Greek American organizations, political action, religious freedom and human rights groups. He is also the pastor of Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons and serves as the Orthodox Chaplain for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Legal Director Bob Nasdor is leaving NLCHP on October 17, after almost two years of commuting from Boston to Washington, D.C. We thank him for his contributions, especially for being instrumental in creating our new Wiki site, and wish him well.

We are grateful to Deputy Legal Director Catherine Bendor for stepping in as Acting Legal Director.

Free Audio Training: Thursday, November 13, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET

Gender Discrimination and Using Anti- Discrimination Laws to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence

NOTE: This is NOT the National Forum on the Human Right to Housing. You do NOT need to fill out or pay the fee listed on the confirmation page.

Click here to register for this event.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, remember that you can support NLCHP when you order gifts!

Order items through iGive.com, GiveBackAmerica.org or Go odShop.com, choose NLCHP as your charity, and a percentage of the sale will go to NLCHP, at no additional cost to you! Hundreds of popular retailers participate through these sites.

At GiveBackAmerica.org, you can even book your holiday travel, with a percentage of proceeds benefitting NLCHP!

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is now on Facebook! Add NLCHP as a friend, become a fan, or join the cause!

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is a beneficiary of the 2008 Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon. We would like to invite you to join our team and walk with us in Washington, DC in support of NLCHP. Click here to join our team. If you are unable to join us on November 22, please support our team with a donation. Your contribution goes directly to NLCHP.

NLCHP would like to thank the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region for its award of a $15,000 grant in support our of Wiki project, a collaborative online service created by and for advocates and service providers working to end homelessness.

NLCHP is a 501(c)(3) organization. Visit our website at www.nlchp.org! Contact us at (202) 638-2535 or email us at nlchp@nlchp.org