After the Supreme Court ruled that the CDC moratorium, or ban, on evictions during the pandemic could be lifted about a month ago, eviction courts and landlords have swung into action to evict potentially millions of renters. 

There has been millions in emergency rental assistance given to communities, but implementation and spending of that assistance has been slow. (Read about how Washington, DC has been fairing in ensuring rental assistance makes it to those in need.)

Please share widely this state-by-state list of resources for renters needing assistance

From 2016 – 2020, Caitlyn was the Social Media Director for the Transformative Justice Coalition, and Special Assistant to its President and Founder, Barbara Arnwine. While at TJC, Caitlyn was selected by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to attend and participate in their week-long “Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation” summit, led Gen Z Millennial Votes Matter Trainings, and assisted with TJC’s voting rights and policy advocacy activities.

In 2020, Caitlyn was a guest on Barbara Arnwine’s “Igniting Change” radio show, along with Donald Whitehead, now Executive Director of NCH. As a guest on Igniting Change, as well as on panels at otherevents, Caitlyn shed light on the issue of homelessness by sharing her own stories of what it was like being a Black woman who was homeless for the majority of five years. Caitlyn has spoken about what should be done differently to address not only the crisis of homelessness (such as people-focused shelters rather than shelter-focused shelters) but also, as she puts it, the “homeless mindset”, which she defines as "the psychological issues and deep-seeded PTSD that develops from any prolonged period of homelessness". Caitlyn served on the NCH Board of Directors for close to a year before stepping down to join staff as the Coordinator of Public Education in August 2021.

Caitlyn plans to create several nonprofit programs:

• one for reunification services centered around custody cases, adoptees, and preventative counseling;
• one to provide educational resources for people experiencing homeless so that it is possible for them to attend college and achieve their dreams;
• and a mentorship program to be implemented first in Baltimore City schools so students of every age are guided and educated in college resources. 

Caitlyn is also writing a series of books bringing awareness to the realities of homelessness. Her platform for all her dreams and work is simple: since Napoleon said “Ability is nothing without opportunity”, why not give people every opportunity to succeed? There is so much potential in the world that goes unnoticed because people are never given the chance and no one looks inside the shelters, the streets, the parks, the tents, and on the couches where people are.

VOTE!

Local elections are coming up! Click below to check your registration status, or look up who is running for office in your community. Local elections (state, city, county) are just as important, if not more so, than the presidential or congressional elections. Local elected leaders can decide how quickly emergency funds are dispersed in your community. They also decide on zoning issues that greatly affect how much affordable housing is available in your city. 

National Coalition for the Homeless, 2201 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

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