Bring America Home Now

The National Coalition (NCH) has had a very eventual last three months.  NCH partnered with the Poor People Campaign during the launch of the March on Washington.  NCH helped to plan the community meal and the Memorial Service sponsored by the campaign.  Nch also held an all-night Vigil to raise awareness about the growing criminalization of people experiencing homelessness across the United States. NCH also held a very successful Congressional briefing which included multiple members of congress and several major national groups including the National Organization for Women (NOW) LULAC\, and The National Low-Income Housing Coalition among others. among others,

NCH completed planning for the  Lived Experience Training Academy (LETA) is a virtual (*fully online) and inclusive professional development program initiated by the National Coalition for the Homeless (, a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected. The LETA program includes 12 hours of professional development, which leads to certification if successfully completed. It is created by People with Lived Experience and Expertise (PLEE) who have been unhoused in the United States. The mission of LETA is to: Equip people with lived experience of homelessness to embrace leadership roles and transform public policy to be more inclusive.” The development and implementation of the LETA program is led and directed by internationally renowned Professor and Endowed Chair of Social Justice Education at Stetson University and the Vice President of the National Coalition for the Homeless Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown, and Attorney and the Founder of the Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity David Peery, along with oversight by the Executive Director of the NCH Donald Whitehead. Additionally, the LETA team includes 9 diverse steering committee members (PLEE). The LETA program includes a thoughtfully designed curriculum with six core themes and several interconnected themes that emerged through a series of focus group interviews conducted with people around the nation who are currently or formerly experiencing homelessness; the LETA focus groups were led by Dr. Shankar-Brown, the current U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Jeff Olivet, and the NCH Grants Manager Michelle Bush. Topics covered in the LETA program include, but are not limited to, the following: technology literacy, wellness and self-care, history of homelessness, public policy contextualization, communication, coalition building, conflict resolution, financial wellbeing, organizing and advocacy, and inclusive leadership. LETA builds on the knowledge and skills of diverse people with lived experience and focuses on systemic change to ensure housing is a human right

Links:

• http://www.bringAmericahomenow.org

The Bring America Home Campaign launched in November and brought on staff in January. Joel Segal longtime congressional staff member was brought on to Direct the Campaign.  The campaign now has over 121 regional and national partners. Partners include NOW, LULAC, NAACP, and many others The Campaign will host an ecumenical Faith-Based Launch featuring Grammy Winning Vocalist John P. Kee among others.  

 In March, a Family and Children launch at Stetson University in Florida in June and will hold launches in 16 cities in the coming months.  The campaign policy team is currently analyzing all previous legislation aimed at ending homeless to package together legislation that results in the structural changes necessary to end homeless.

In addition to the amazing work of the campaign, NCH has been working to put an end to a growing number of encampment sweeps across the country.  NCH is fundamentally opposed to sweeps that have dotted the headlines lately, including the subway sweeps in New York and vigilante sweeps in southern California.  NCH is continuing its push to pass the  Build Back Better Plan and HUD appropriations.  In this period NCH proudly launched the LivedExperience Training Academy (LETA).  LETA is a curriculum designed by people with lived experience to assist individuals considering advocacy and board involvement.  The first cohort will be conducted in April and the plan is to do 12 training this year.  NCH has also expanded its TA work and is not assisting HUD with providing Lived Expertise in several communities.

Finally, NCH has started the process of opening its second field office which will be located in Los Angeles California considered the epicenter of homelessness in America.  The goal of the field offices is to strengthen local advocacy campaigns and mobilize people with Lived Experience to advocate on their own behalf to address issues directly affecting them in their communities

Links:

• Bring America Home Website