February, 2021  SUBSCRIBE Dear Friends— This Black History Month comes at a time when the disproportionate racial impact of homelessness on Black communities is finally getting attention. Black Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, 26% of the poverty population, and over 40% of the homeless population. Their overrepresentation in poverty and homelessness is the legacy of slavery, the all-encompassing horrors of Jim Crow, intentional discrimination in housing, employment, education, and a criminal legal system that has caused the unjust mass incarceration of far [...]

January, 2021  SUBSCRIBE Dear Friends— Here in the Nation’s Capital, I feel both fear and hope as we enter the new year. The siege on the Capitol brought into sharp relief the racism and hate that drive so many of the challenges we face—as a country and in our work at the Law Center. The failure of police response, especially compared to the overwhelming law enforcement presence at racial justice protests, made crystal clear the bigotry built into debates over “public safety.” And the [...]

October, 2020 SUBSCRIBE Dear Friends— Next month’s elections are critically important, and we have two goals for them: First, to make sure the needs and rights of homeless people are front and center, and second, to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can participate. This election is a pivotal for many reasons. Over the past few years, our advocacy for the human right to housing has been gaining momentum: Last year four presidential candidates explicitly called for it, and one of the current candidates has included [...]

August, 2020  SUBSCRIBE Dear Friends— You may have already seen two pieces of momentous and exciting news about the Law Center. First, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is becoming the National Homelessness Law Center, effective immediately. And, after 31 years at the helm, I will be stepping down as Executive Director at the end of this year. The name change is easy. We are simplifying and streamlining our name, but our mission remains the same: to use the power of the law [...]