2019 Press Releases - National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

Press Releases

Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit Over Alabama’s Laws Criminalizing Panhandling

Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit Over Alabama’s Laws Criminalizing Panhandling City of Montgomery Issued over 400 Citations in Last 18 Months Enforcing Laws in Violation of First Amendment FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Karianna Barr/NLCHP/ kbarr@nlchp.org/ 202-638-2535 x118 Jen Fuson/SPLC/jen.fuson@splcenter.org / 202-834-6209 Rebecca Seung-Bickley /Alabama ACLU/rseungbickley@aclualabama.org/334-420-1743 Montgomery, Ala.— Alabama’s panhandling laws violate the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech, according to a lawsuit filed today [...]

February 13th, 2020|0 Comments

Supreme Court Lets Martin v. Boise Stand

Supreme Court Lets Martin v. Boise Stand: Homeless Persons Cannot Be Punished for Sleeping in Absence of Alternatives FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karianna Barr Director of Development & Communications 202-638-2535 kbarr@nlchp.org (December 16, 2019, Washington, DC) – This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by the city of Boise to review the case Martin v. Boise (formerly Bell v. Boise). This leaves [...]

December 16th, 2019|0 Comments

Statement on Appointment of Robert Marbut as Executive Director of USICH

Statement on Appointment of Robert Marbut as Executive Director of USICH FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karianna Barr Director of Development & Communications 202-638-2535 kbarr@nlchp.org (December 4, 2019, Washington, DC)—Yesterday, it was announced that Robert Marbut would be named as the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), a position recently left open by the ousting of Matthew Doherty. The National [...]

December 4th, 2019|0 Comments

White House Policy on Homelessness Based on Politics, Not Public Safety or Health

White House Policy on Homelessness Based on Politics, Not Public Safety or Health FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karianna Barr Director of Development & Communications 202-638-2535 kbarr@nlchp.org (November 22, 2019, Washington, DC)—Last Friday, the White House removed the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), Matthew Doherty, raising concerns that it plans to move forward with a political, rather than evidence-based, strategy [...]

November 22nd, 2019|0 Comments

Mega-Tents Do Not Solve Homelessness, Or Excuse Sweeps

Mega-Tents Do Not Solve Homelessness, Or Excuse Sweeps National Homelessness Experts Condemn Texas Governor’s Action FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Crys Letona 202-638-2535 x109 – cletona@nlchp.org (November 7, 2019, Washington, D.C.) – On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ignored the voices of countless Austin residents when he ordered the displacement of homeless people living under Texas bridges in the Austin area—with no plan for where [...]

November 7th, 2019|0 Comments

White House Policy Paper on Homelessness Misrepresents Evidence, Drives Wrong Conclusions

White House Policy Paper on Homelessness Misrepresents Evidence, Drives Wrong Conclusions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karianna Barr 202-638-2535, Ext. 118 kbarr@nlchp.org (September 17, 2019, Washington, DC)—On Monday evening, President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisors released a white paper that ignores and directly contradicts the evidence-based consensus of 19 of his own agencies. Last year, those agencies published the Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, stating [...]

September 17th, 2019|0 Comments

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Homeless Persons Cannot Be Punished for Sleeping in Absence of Alternatives

(April 1, 2019, Boise, Idaho) – Tonight, people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the west coast states of the Ninth Circuit can sleep more safely, without facing criminal punishment for simply trying to survive on the streets.

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Adopts New Guiding Principles and Practices for Unsheltered Homelessness

Los Angeles, CA, March 7, 2019 – On February 28, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) adopted new policy that calls for decriminalizing life-sustaining survival actions of the more than 40,000 Los Angelenos who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

Advocacy Groups Take Legal Action on Florida Panhandling Bans

Jacksonville, FL, February 13, 2019 – A group of advocacy organizations and pro bono attorneys are suing St. Johns County Sheriff David B. Shoar and Florida Highway Patrol Director Gene Spaulding on behalf of Peter Vigue, a St. Augustine resident who has been arrested by both law enforcement agencies for standing on the public right of way and holding a sign soliciting donations.

700,000 U.S. Minors are Alone and Without A Home: New Report Addresses Their Rights In Every State

Washington, DC, February 13, 2019– A new report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and National Network for Youth discusses the state laws impacting an estimated 700,000 minors in the U.S. experiencing homelessness alone each year. These youth face high risks of assault, dropping out of school, food insecurity, and health problems.

As Shutdown Puts Families at Risk of Homelessness, Federal Law Protects Children's School Rights

Washington, DC, January 25, 2019 – Over 2.5 millions children experience homelessness each year in the U.S., and advocates fear their ranks will increase due to the continuing government shutdown. As the 800,000 federal government employees currently furloughed or working without pay miss their second paycheck today, some will be unable to pay their rent or mortgage– putting them and their families at risk of homelessness. More than two million other low-income families rely on government rental subsidies to help pay their rent, subsidies that are only guaranteed through February 28th.