March 2021
Join us for our inaugural Membership Convening this Spring - submit your Membership application today!
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NCH applauds passage of the American Rescue Plan and appointment of Marcia Fudge as Secretary of HUD
We are glad that further relief will be heading to families and communities across the country, as President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan. The legislation includes nearly $50 billion in essential housing and homelessness assistance, including over $27 billion for rental assistance and $5 billion in new funding for states and cities to provide housing stability for tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness.
At the same time, we are excited that Congresswoman Marcia Fudge was sworn in this week as the Secretary of HUD. We look forward to working with Ms. Fudge to reverse racist housing policy and provide equal access to affordable housing for all.
The Fight for a Minimum Wage Increase Continues
The effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025 is officially off the table for now, as it was struck from the early drafts of the American Rescue Plan. Truth be told, $15 per hour is not enough if you live in the ten most expensive areas in the nation, but a great talking point though. Universal Guaranteed Income for US citizens 18 years and older is gaining more traction. Not new in theory, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr introduced the idea in 1967 as a solution to ending poverty.
Fifty-Two years later, part of his dream became reality when former Stockton, CA Mayor Michael Tubbs implemented that philosophy in his city. The latest report on the Stockton program dispels myths and shows that Universal Guaranteed Income programs can be successful. Click to read the report.
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Christian Nunes
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Christian F. Nunes, MBA, MS, LCSW, serves as the President of NOW, the National Organization for Women.
Christian is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Consultant, and a Woman-Minority Business Owner since 2006. Ms. Nunes received her BSW degree from Northern Arizona University, Master of Science from Columbia University, and Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
She is an active community organizer and has spoken at events such as the March for Black Women in 2018. Along with her activism for mental health, Nunes also has over 20 years of experience advocating for children’s and women’s issues.
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Najaah Yasmine Daniels
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Najaah Yasmine Daniels (she/ella) is the Founder
and CEO of Twice As Good LLC, a social impact and
advocacy firm specializing in helping individuals
and institutions transmute trauma into triumph
under a socio-cultural and liberation philosophy
lens. As an orator, political strategist, and campaign
operative with 15 years of experience, Najaah has
worked across the United States spearheading
electoral and issue-based campaigns at the local,
state, and national level. She has received
numerous accolades including a Certificate of
Special Congressional Recognition and the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. Previously, Najaah served as
Chief of Staff at Vote.org, the largest 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan voter registration and voter turnout technology platform in America. Although a proud Black Latina from New York, Najaah has lived and served in Las Vegas, NV since 2015 where she is affectionately known as the “New York Nevadan”.
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Our monthly Town Hall for people experiencing homelessness is scheduled for next Thursday, March 18, at 3pm EST/ Noon PST.
We will be talking about Racial Justice in the delivery of homeless services, and in solution policy. Click the link below to register!
The Future of Shelter
Emergency shelter saves lives. But let's face it, there are lots of shelters that have poor living conditions. The recent story of an abusive shelter director in NYC, and the still heart-wrenching story of Relisha Rudd, show that shelter staff can be corrupt, dangerous, or in many cases, underpaid and undertrained. Many shelters have grievance policies for residents, but do complaints ever lead to action? And what of close quarters (especially during COVID), limited hours, little or no access to showers, or the horror stories of one small square of toilet paper per bathroom visit?
We know that federal resources do not adequately fill the need for emergency housing, leading to budget shortfalls that cause some of these bad conditions. But is there more we can be doing to make our shelters more focused on healing than warehousing?
In the coming months, NCH will be sharing strategies for improving our shelters spaces. One such idea is Designing Shelters for Dignity, a project grounded in environmental psychology that believes that by making small changes to existing shelter spaces, we can positively impact the wellbeing of individuals sleeping in homeless shelters.
New Tshirt Designs benefit NCH
ChariTEES, a longtime partner and support of NCH, has a new set of t-shirts for sale. Each design works to break down stereotypes of people who experience homelessness. NCH receives proceeds from the sale of these shirts.
Click here to purchase, and wear what you feel!
Upcoming Events
March 16-18, 2021
There is still time to register for next week's Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, being held virtually. The annual conference is Co-sponsored by Feeding America and the Food Research & Action Center in cooperation with the National CACFP Forum. Click here to register.
March 30-31, 2021
The National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2021 Policy Forum will provide a wide array of opportunities to engage with affordable housing advocates, thought-leaders, policy experts, researchers, housing providers, low income residents, and elected leaders on seizing this unique moment in America to advance policy solutions to homelessness and housing poverty. Click here to register. Low income members with lived experience $5, non-members $10.
April 20-21, 2021
DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) and Pathways Housing First are holding HOUSING FIRST! A Virtual Conference in April. The biennial conference was postponed from the Spring of 2020. Click here to learn more and register.
Presented by DESC and Pathways Housing First
May 10-14, 2021
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council will be holding its annual Conference & Policy Symposium, this year embracing the theme, “EQuality = Equity + Quality in a COVID-Aware World.” Click here to register.
National Coalition for the Homeless, 2201 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
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