Resources for Homelessness and Homeless Services

Reports, Testimony & Policy Recommendations

• Housing in The Nation's Capital 2007, Fannie Mae Foundation and Urban Institute (November 2007)
• Testimony of Mayor Adrian Fenty on S. 1518: Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2007 (June 21, 2007)
• Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (February 2007)
• Timeline for Action Steps to Implement the District's Strategy for Ending Homelessness and the Homeless Services Reform Act, Coalition of Housing and Homeless Organizations (December 2006)
• Priority Recommendations for the New Mayoral Administration, Coalition of Housing and Homeless Organizations (November 2006)
• Hunger and Homelessness Survey, United States Conference of Mayors (December 2005)

D.C. Government Plans & Legislation

• Homeless Services Reform Act of 2005
• Homeless No More: A Strategy for Ending Homeless in the District of Columbia by 2014 (December 2004)

Organizations

• Coalition of Housing and Homelessness Organizations. Largest coalition working to address homelessness in Washington, D.C. Includes diverse nonprofit organizations and also homeless individuals. Does not, at this point, have its own website.
• Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness. Nonprofit organization that serves as the District's lead agency for implementing the D.C. continuum of care model. Oversees the District's emergency and hypothermia shelters. Manages permanent housing programs and a referral center for families facing homelessness. Provides diverse resources for providers.
• Corporation for Supportive Housing. Helps communities create housing with services to prevent and end homelessness. Provides advice and development expertise, makes loans and grants to supportive housing developers, and works to strengthen the supportive housing industry and reform public policy so that it will be easier to create and operate supportive housing.
• National Coalition for the Homeless. National network of people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness, activists, advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and other committed to ending homelessness. Engages in public education, policy advocacy, and grassroots organizing in the areas of housing justice, economic justice, health care justice, and civil rights.
• National Alliance to End Homelessness. Nonpartisan organization committed to ending homeless in the U.S. Analyzes policy and develops policy solutions. Works with public, private, and other nonprofit organizations to build state and local capacities. Provides data and research to policymakers to inform debates and to educate opinion leaders and the general public.
• National Center on Family Homelessness. Nonprofit organization devoted to helping homeless families. Conducts research and provides training and technical assistance to direct service providers. Also works to raise awareness of the realities of family homelessness and possible solutions and works with homeless families to help them advocate for themselves.
• National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Serves as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness. Focuses on impacting litigation, policy advocacy, and public education.
• National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness. National grassroots organization whose primary concern is to ensure that national homelessness policy accurately reflects the needs of local communities. Conducts public education campaigns, research, and grassroots organizing. Also provides technical assistance to local advocacy groups and service providers.
• United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Congressionally-established executive branch organization consisting of approximately 20 agencies. Responsible for providing federal leadership for activities to assist homeless families and individuals.

SOME Resources

Facts & Figures

• Poverty in Washington, D.C.
• Housing Costs in Washington, D.C.

Reports

• A Snapshot of Adult Shelter Use in Washington, D.C.: February 2004, T.J. Sutcliffe (March 2004)
• Adult Shelter Use in DC Over the 2003–2004 Winter, T.J. Sutcliffe (October 2004)
• Adult Shelter Use in DC Over the 2002–2003 Winter, T.J. Sutcliffe (November 2003)

Recent Testimony

• Regarding Oversight of the Department of Human Services (Nechama Masliansky) (February 20, 2008)
• Regarding Oversight of the Department of Human Services (February 20, 2008)
• Regarding the Public Oversight Roundable Regarding Poverty Issues (January 16, 2008)

To monitor emergency shelter availability and use, SOME maintains daily logs of temperatures, alerts called and beds in use, by ward. These are available, upon request, from advocacy@some.org.

For resources to help you advocate on the issues, check out Advocacy Resources.